Website Evaluation

You cannot trust everything you find on the Internet. When looking for reliable information, you need to be careful. Applying the five website-evaluation criteria explained in this lesson will help you determine if the information, and website, can be trusted. Determining the website’s purpose, accuracy and timeliness, objectivity, and authority can help you decide if the information is valid and is suitable for your intended purpose. Also, the appearance of a website, can, but not always, be a good clue as to its trustworthiness. Too many mistakes and broken links are certain warning signs. There are many websites on the Internet that are trying to sell you a product or intentionally mislead or persuade you. Knowing what to look for and how to evaluate a website’s reliability will help you steer clear of bad information.