ABC's of Evaluating Information Sources
(websites, journal articles, books, etc.)

Audience

• To whom is the source directed – children, adults, students; a certain ethnicity, gender or political affiliation?
• Is it understandable by the layperson, or is it highly technical requiring specialized knowledge?

Authority

• Is the author of the source listed?
• Can you determine his/her expertise or credentials?
• Is contact information given – phone number, address, e-mail?
• With what organization is he/she associated?

Bias

• Does the language, tone, or treatment of its subject give the source a particular slant or bias?
• Is the source objective?
• Is it designed to sway opinion, sell you something, or simply make an argument? Organizational, institutional, or corporate affiliation can often be a good gauge of bias.

Currency

• Is the source up-to-date? If it's a site, does it have working links?
• Is a date given for when it was created and, in the case of online sources, last updated?
• Is the topic current?

Scope

• Is the source an in-depth study of the topic going several pages deep, or is it a superficial, single-page look at the subject?
• Are statistics and sources properly cited and referenced?
• In the case of websites, does it offer unique information not found anywhere else, e.g., print sources or peer-reviewed journal publications?

• Comparison of Web Search Engines provides a comparison of search engine based on volume of pages indexed, ad support, webmail providers, Internet privacy, and digital rights.
• Google Search Help & How to Search on Google these pages give simple tips to improve your searching strategy and return hits with greater relevancy.

Help pages are available for any search engine or directory that you use - take the time to look at them, it will save you time and frustration!

How to Evaluate a Website

• Evaluate a Website 

• Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages

​Examples of good websites:

• WhiteHouse.gov
• Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute

Examples of bad websites:

• not the WhiteHouse
• MartinLutherKing.org

By using common sense and the criteria listed in the sites provided above, you should easily avoid the bad, bogus, false and misleading information that lurks on the web and elsewhere!