Quality Control for the

World Wide Web

“So, What’s Your Problem?”

Quantity

vs. QualityInternet As an Uncontrolled Medium

“How do you rate…a web site?”

Print evaluation criteria still apply1. Accuracy2. Authority3. Objectivity4. Currency5. Coverage/Scope6. Audience/Purpose

“Who says?”

Who authored this web site???– Is the website signed?– Are any credentials given?– Is there a link to a homepage?– Is the site sponsored by an organization, a

corporation, government agency, academic institution?

“Who says?”

What do you know about this “expert”?– Is there a contact address?– Is there an e-mail address for

feedback/information?– If you do a web search by name, can you find

out more?

Anatomy of a URL (Universal Resource Locator)

http://www.river.org/~jordan/web/evaluation/quiz.html

What type of a site is it?

Domain.com – a commercial site.org – a group or organization.edu – an academic institution.gov – a government site.mil – a military site.net – a network

Interpreting URLs

Topic: endangered species in Hawaiihttp://www.zen.com.uk/home/page/nchadd/endang.htmlhttp://www.capehs.k12.me.us/~sdaigle/EnvironSci/

Endangered/hawaii.htmlhttp://www.envirolink.org/archives/enews/0526.htmhttp://www.aloha.com/~apollo/dolphin_in.html

Interpreting URLs

http://eelink.umich.edu/ESupdate.biodiversity.htmlhttp://kidscience.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa051.htmhttp://www.amnh.org/Exhibition/Endangered.hawaii/

hawaii.htmlhttp://www.fws.gov/r9endspp/r/fr945.html

“When in doubt, doubt!”

Separate fact from opinionLook for evidence of bias– Choice of content– Selected links– Manipulation

Test accuracy against another source

“Why is this information free?”

Intended purpose?

Intended audience?

“Now….and then”

How current is this information?

When was the website last updated?

How “fresh” is the information?

“Details, details, details…”

Internal clues to quality– Spelling, grammar, syntax errors?– Sources cited?– Awards?

User-friendly design?

Ease of navigation– Clear and logical organization?– Effective use of graphics?– Do pages load quickly?– Can you navigate back & forward freely? – Are there many “dead” links?– Is advertising intrusive?

“On a scale of 1 to 10…”

How does the WWW rate compared to other available sources?

– Library reference collection– Online subscription databases

• EBSCO• Gale Student Resource Center

– (Library website: whslibweb.homestead.com)

Practice, practice, practice!!

Give us your best…website!

Blue Blaze Award