A Brief Overview of Website Evaluation

This information is derived from the book Web Wisdom: How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web, by Alexander and Tate, as well as from a workshop at Moravian College.

Evaluation Criteria
One sign of a high-quality web-site is that users can find the following information readily:

Authority - Are the authors identified? Does the site provide information about the background and qualifications of those maintaining/providing it? What is the URL, a .edu, .org, or .com?

Purpose - For whom is the site intended? Is it selling anything?

Accuracy - Are there obvious grammar and spelling errors? Is there any mention of an editor?

Objectivity - If the content is controversial, are opposing points of view considered in a balanced manner? Is there support for positions taken?

Currency - How recently was the site updated? Are recent devlopments covered on the site?

Coverage - What subjects are included and how deeply are they explored?

Apply the above criteria to each of the following sites:
(1) http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/emf.html
What can you find out about Farley? What is the purpose of his article? Is it acceptable?

(2) http://www.midtod.com/9603/voltage.phtml
What kind of publication is Midwest Today? What makes this article seem objective or biased?