Website Credibility Checklist: Check it before you use it!
Before looking for credible websites, consider the following:
Determine what you are looking for. Are you looking for general information? Research findings? Statistics and facts? Biased Arguments?
Consider each of the following in your quest to determine whether or not the website is credible. Using only one or two of the items below will not be enough to go on; if possible apply all seven test-criteria.
1. Ending of the website
- (.org, .com, .net, .edu, .gov). In some cases, these endings can help you determine if a website is credible.
2. Author(s) and/or creator(s) of online article or website
- Who funds (or pays for) the website? What companies advertise on the website? What are their interests? You can find bias by knowing about the group or person that created the website.
3. Purpose of Website
- People or interest groups have different motives, or reasons, for creating websites. Is the website trying to inform the audience? Change peoples’ minds? Make an argument to a particular audience? Why has someone bothered to make the site?
4. Grammar
- Is it written clearly? Are there spelling or grammar errors? These errors may indicate that the author’s level of education is not sufficient to lend them expertise in this area.
5. Use of information from other sources
- Does the website or author cite, or tell you where they found, information they include from other sources? Do they cross reference research or information posted on other sources?
6. Less information = Less credibility
- Can you find enough information on the website to create a complete MLA citation? If you cannot find that information, it might not be a credible source.
7. Consider your own reading level
- Can you read the website or article? More importantly, can you understand what it is telling you? Selecting a source that is difficult for you to make sense of will only cause you headaches later on.
After collecting information from each source, CROSS REFERENCE!
- Are you finding this information on multiple websites? Are you finding conflicting information on other websites? Website credibility does not end after you collect research from that source!
Determine what you are looking for. Are you looking for general information? Research findings? Statistics and facts? Biased Arguments?
Consider each of the following in your quest to determine whether or not the website is credible. Using only one or two of the items below will not be enough to go on; if possible apply all seven test-criteria.
1. Ending of the website
- (.org, .com, .net, .edu, .gov). In some cases, these endings can help you determine if a website is credible.
2. Author(s) and/or creator(s) of online article or website
- Who funds (or pays for) the website? What companies advertise on the website? What are their interests? You can find bias by knowing about the group or person that created the website.
3. Purpose of Website
- People or interest groups have different motives, or reasons, for creating websites. Is the website trying to inform the audience? Change peoples’ minds? Make an argument to a particular audience? Why has someone bothered to make the site?
4. Grammar
- Is it written clearly? Are there spelling or grammar errors? These errors may indicate that the author’s level of education is not sufficient to lend them expertise in this area.
5. Use of information from other sources
- Does the website or author cite, or tell you where they found, information they include from other sources? Do they cross reference research or information posted on other sources?
6. Less information = Less credibility
- Can you find enough information on the website to create a complete MLA citation? If you cannot find that information, it might not be a credible source.
7. Consider your own reading level
- Can you read the website or article? More importantly, can you understand what it is telling you? Selecting a source that is difficult for you to make sense of will only cause you headaches later on.
After collecting information from each source, CROSS REFERENCE!
- Are you finding this information on multiple websites? Are you finding conflicting information on other websites? Website credibility does not end after you collect research from that source!