LibraryEvaluating Websites
Accuracy
It might seem obvious that a site should have accurate information in order to be worth your interest. However, rumors and false information are all over the Web. If a site includes inaccurate information, it is not reliable.
But how do you know whether the site's information is accurate? After all, if you already knew everything on the page, it wouldn't be good research material. Here are a few strategies for evaluating accuracy.
- Does the material cite its sources? Just as you are required to cite your sources in your papers, a website should indicate the trail of its information, whether through links, footnotes, or other means.
- If the site does contain citations, do they come from a variety of high-quality sources, or are they obscure? Are they specific citations, or do they just refer to websites? Does the author cite his/her own work and little else?
- Does the site contain obvious grammatical and/or spelling errors? If it does, then there is nobody taking responsibility for the accuracy of the site--it may be the product of one person, and when that is the case lots of errors can creep in without being caught. Reputable publications have editors and fact-checkers. If the site is the product of one person, or a few, and they are unable to catch spelling errors, they may be wrong on more substantial points as well.
- Does it include internet myths? There are all sorts of pieces of information that circulate around the Web that are simply untrue. For example, a bogus Thomas Jefferson quote about the dangers posed by banks appears in an essay that claims to explain mortgage crisis. If the author is not careful about the accuracy here, can we be confident that she is accurate elsewhere?
