Who published the page?

If the page has been published by a governmental source (state, federal, etc.), an academic body (college or university), or an established professional association (i.e.: The American Medical Association ), then the information contained can be considered to be both accurate and of research value.

If the page is an individual's homepage, or that of an association that is questionable, be very careful about using the information.

Review the ABC's of Evaluating Web Sources for a list of criteria that will aid you in determining the research value of a Web page.
 

ABCs of Evaluating Web Resources

Authority

• Does the author's name appear on the Web page?
• What is the author's expertise on this particular subject?
• What is the author's organizational affiliation?
• Is contact information available so that the author(s) can be reached for questions?

Bias

• Is the web site objective?
• Does the author's organization affiliation make him/her biased?

Currency

• Is there a date of creation or revision?
• If the topic is timely, is the date recent?
• Are the links up-to-date?

Content

• Does the information seem logical?
• Is the information intended as an advertisement?
• Does the text follow basic rules of grammar and spelling?
• Are citations given when facts and statistics are used?