As a frequent web user, you must learn to critically examine web information for credibility. The following checklist of questions about authorship, publisher or sponsor, currency, content quality, and accuracy and organization will help you critically assess the validity of web information.

Authorship

Who authored this page or article?

Are the authors credentials easily found? If not, check the authors credentials online.

Is the author affiliated with a reputable organization?

Is the authors contact information, such as an email address, easily found?

Are the About page and the Contact page easy to spot?

Tip: Use lateral readingLinks to an external site. to learn more about the author.

Publisher or Sponsor

What organization publishes or sponsors this web page? Is the publisher reputable?

What domain is used in the URL? The domain name gives clues about who published the document (e.g., .com, .org, .edu, .gov, .net).

Is the site published or sponsored in another country? Look for a two-letter code in the URL: .uk, .au, .br, .hu, .mx, .ca, .in.

Tip: Use lateral readingLinks to an external site. to learn more about the publisher or sponsor.

Currency

When was the web page published or last updated? Readers expect this information at the bottom of the page.

Is this a website that requires current, updated information (e.g., science, medicine, current events)?

Are all links on this web page current and working? Broken links are red flags.

Content Quality

What is the purpose of the web page? For example, does the page entertain, inform, persuade, sell, or express satire?

Who is the intended audience of the page, based on its content, tone, and style?

Do you see evidence of bias, and does the author acknowledge the bias?

Does the site link to other reputable sites? Do those sites in turn link back to the site in question?

Does the page contain distracting graphics or fill the screen with unwanted ads and pop-ups?

Is the website secure?

Accuracy and Organization

Does the information appear to be well researched?

If the site contains statistics and facts, are sources, dates, and/ or citations provided?

Is the information well organized with main points clearly presented?

Is the site well designed and easy to navigate? Good design adds credibility.

Does the page have broken links or graphics that dont load?

Are the graphics appropriately placed and clearly labeled?

Does the site have spelling, grammar, or usage errors? Careless errors are red flags.

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