8_Point_Strategy

1. Is it clear who has written the information and is the author open to feedback?

Look for the author's name.
Is the author a recognised authority in the subject?
Does the author represent an authoritative organisation?
Does the URL suggest that the site is coming from an authoritative source? Look at the domains .gov - a US government site, .gov.uk - a UK government site, .ac - an academic site possibly a university department. Be wary of ~ (tilde) in a URL it normally indicates that it is coming from a personal folder.
Visit http://www.icann.org/tlds/ for more information about domain names.
Can the author be contacted by e-mail or phone?

2. What are the aims of the site?

3. Are the aims achieved?

Does the site do what it sets out to do?
Some sites have more than one aim - offering free information but trying to get you to buy into a product.

4. Is the site relevant to you?

5. Can the information be checked?

Is the author who s/he says s/he is? - see 1 above.
Does the site provide links to other web site that allow the information to be compared/checked?
Does the information contain references to documentary evidence such as books or magazine articles?

6. How up to date is the site?

Look for dates.
The web site should tell you when the information was put on the web or more importantly when it was updated.
Is the nature of the content of the web liable to change overtime or go out of date?
Are all the links working? This is a sign that the site is being maintained.

7. Is the information biased?

Is the site trying to make you believe something or make you change your mind?
Does the site carry advertising?
Does the URL indicate a bias - see 1. above.
Are the web pages part of a bigger web site that has an agenda that may not be shown on the web pages? Try deleting the last part of the URL to take you back to the main web site e.g. this page may have a URL something like - www.bury-lea.org.uk/teachers/guidance/webeval.htm - try deleting back to each / to see the "parent" pages of the website.

8. Does the site tell you about choices open to you?

If the site is offering advice then it should give some indication of the consequences of taking that advice.
Does the site give equal weight to the choices offered?
Is the site biased to one choice? - see 7 above.

The site below offers a pupil friendly explanation of these points

Other sites to check.