How do I...
How do I screen a website for academic use?
SCREEN IT before you CITE IT!
Tips for Screening Web Resources for Academic Work
The World Wide Web is a great tool. It is important to know how and when to use it.
- Many Web resources are appropriate to use for your research.
- Many Web resources are not credible enough for your paper.
FORM---Look at the appearance of the site.
| Look for: |
Watch out for: |
| Correct spelling and grammar |
Spelling, grammatical or typographical errors |
| Updated appearance |
Outdated appearance |
| Easy access to contact information |
No/minimal contact information |
| Detailed "About Us" information | No information about agenda or contributors |
SOURCE---Look at the person or group behind the site.
| Look for: |
Watch out for: |
| .edu or .gov site | Biased sources/agenda---Political? Commercial? |
| Known or credible person(s) or institution | Created by unknown person or institution |
| Educational or informational site |
Advertisements/focus on making money |
| Linked to from reputable sites |
Not recommended/referred to by reputable sites |
CONTENT---Look at the information contained in the site.
| Look for: |
Watch out for: |
| Authors cite their sources |
Writing that is not supported by evidence |
| Authors are cited by credible sources |
No other reputable authors site this source or author |
| Current information, daily or regular revisions | Outdated information, site is not regularly updated |
| Writing is clear, logical, orderly | Thoughts or ideas are hard to follow, writing reflects personal opinion/bias/agenda |
Where to look for quality Web resources:
ALA’s Reference and User Services Association, Best Free Reference Websites