PHS Web Site Evaluation Form

Student Name                              Teacher Name

Name of web site     

URL or address of site

Anatomy of a URL- Type of Domain:

.edu – restricted to college websites, not available to anyone else. Accuracy of information can vary. If the site contains a ~ after the .edu/ it is probably the webpage of an individual associated with the school including students and may contain inaccurate information.

.gov – website of a branch or agency of the government. Information can be accepted as valid.

.org – point of views are often biased on an organizations website. Some are professional organizations others are not-for-profits…

.com – anyone can publish on a commercial site. The purpose of a company website is to sell a product or service, most personal sites under this domain contain advertising.

Select the web site domain:
                   .edu .gov .org .com other

Authority:  Look for a link to “About Us”, “Biography”, “Background”, “Who Am I?”  …

 Who is responsible for information posted on the website?

 Can you find educational background or professional experience on the author? List below.

Content – Carefully examine the webpage for the following.

 Objectivity:

What is the main purpose of the site?
                    sell a product or service change public opinion provide information to the public encourage participation in an organization

Relevancy:

Is the information useful for your assignment?

 Does this site link you to other useful sites?

 Currency:

Can you determine the date of publication or updating? If so, when? 

 Does the date the document was published/updated affect the reliability of the information?

 Accuracy:

Are there any obvious spelling, grammatical or factual errors? Describe.

Conclusion: From your evaluation, write a few sentences explaining why this is or is not a good web site for your assignment.

                                                                                                      PHS Media Center 2008 - 09