How do I screen a website for academic use?
SCREEN IT before you CITE IT!
Tips for Screening Web Resources for Academic Work
The web is a great tool, but it's 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Outdated appearance |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Outdated information, site is not regularly updated |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:
Internet Scout Report
Librarian’s Internet Index