Business Administration: Evaluating Websites

Currency: the timeliness of the information

• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?
• Are the links functional?

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
• Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Authority: the source of the information

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
• What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?


•      examples: .com (commercial), .edu (educational), .gov (U.S. government), 
                 .org (nonprofit organization), or .net (network)

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content

• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: the reason the information exists

• What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

Search only within a specified domain name in Google using your keyword and then site:.domain

Example:

immigration reform site:.edu     

This will search for immigration reform websites only within .edu sites.

The credibility of online information can be difficult to verify. We always recommend that you evaluate a website with the information provided in this guide, and not automatically rely on a website based on its domain name.

Common Domain types

.com      Most common domain, anyone can create a website using this

.gov      Generally used for government sites

.edu      Associated with an academic institution. Still use caution, sometimes student work can be represented on .edu sites

.org      Initially created for organizations and associations. Use caution, anyone can use to put out information

.net      Common domain name, anyone can use to put out information