Not all of the information to be found on the World Wide Web is accurate and not all websites, no matter how attractive, are good. When evaluating a website, consider the following questions:

Who wrote the pages?
What does the author have to say about the subject?
Does the author have the authority to present this information?
Does the author/publishing organization have anything to gain by presenting this information?
When was the site created and updated?
Where does the site's information come from?
Is the information consistent with other published material on the topic?
Why it the site useful or important?
Can the information be verified in book, periodical or other sources?

Consider the following criteria:

Criteria:

Fact or Opinion?

In reading nonfiction, it is important to distinguish between fact and opinion. To test whether or not a statement is a fact, ask these questions:

This does not mean that opinions should be discounted. On the contrary, sound opinions based upon logic, research and study, and experience are very valuable. However, to be an alert reader, one needs to know where fact ends and opinion begins.

If more information is needed to evaluate a site, consider e-mailing the author of the site for more information. Good web sites will give the name and e-mail address of a contact person somewhere on the site.