In response to the ever-growing amount of information available on the World Wide Web, many individuals and organizations have developed criteria for evaluating the quality of Web-based information. Although evaluation criteria vary considerably, almost all criteria lists suggest consideration of the quality of informational content. Many also recommend evaluation of design features, as well as assessment of the technological compatibility to various types of servers and personal computers.
The following Web sites and Web pages include some of the most comprehensive and authoritative criteria lists currently available on the Web, as well as some of the most creative evaluation tools.
Evaluating Science WWW Resources, created by the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education at North Carolina State University, covers evaluation issues especially important to educators, such as compatibility with curricular content and visual appeal to young people. Although this page focuses on evaluating science resources, the evaluation criteria can be applied to non-science resources as well.
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask, by UC Berkeley Library, focuses on critical thinking.
The Albany University Libraries offers Evaluating Web Content. It includes useful guidelines for determining the expertise of website content authors.
In "The ABCs of Web Site Evaluation," Kathy Schrock offers 26 evaluation criteria--one for each letter of the alphabet, from authority to Zen.
Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources, by Esther Grassian of the UCLA College Library, includes questions concerning content and evaluation, source and date, and structure.
Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion? You Decide! is an exercise to help Web users learn to evaluate the informational content of Web sites. This UCLA College Library Instruction exercise includes lessons in evaluating authority and accuracy, advocacy and objectivity, and currency and coverage.
The ICYouSee Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See on the Web is an interactive tutorial in Web resource evaluation. Created by John Henderson of the Ithaca College Library, this page includes an optional homework assignment that can be submitted to the author.