Website Evaluation: Start Here!

There are several similar ways to remember the criteria for evaluating websites. Click on the Title of each for more explanation and a PDF handout.

CRAAP (Cal State Universiy-Chico)

• Currency
• Relevance
• Authority
• Accuracy
• Purpose

5 Questions (Univ. of California, Berkeley
Click here for a checklist.  

• What can the URL tell you? (domain, publisher)
• Answer these questions- scan perimeter of page (about us, philosophy, background, biography, currency, credentials, etc.)
• Look for indicators of quality information (links, documentation/footnotes, credibility)
• What do others say? (linking pages, listed in a reputable directory, what others say about the author)
• Does it all add up? (why was page put on web, purpose, is this as reliable as resource as you would find in a library?)

6 Questions (UW-Madison Libraries) 

• Who - created the page/site? Look for an "About us"? What are author's/organization's qualifications?
• What - is page/site about? Does it have info you need?
• Where - is the info coming from? Check the URL/domain, look up domain owner
• Why - is the site on the web? How does it affect the info? Look for purpose, mission, and advertising. Is the site being persuasive?
• When - was the site created/updated? Is the date important for the timeliness of the content?
• How - accurate or credible is the page? How would I cite it? Are there spelling or grammar errors on page? Can I verify the info from another source?

CARRDSS (Joyce Valenza - 7 criteria for web evaluation)   
For a PowerPoint on this system, click here.               

Need help with the terminology used? Click here for a glossary. 

Check out these other sites with tutorials on website evaluation. There are many other good tutorials and websites available.

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• John Hopkins Sheridan Libraries
• Ohio State University
• Stanford Web Credibility Research Project
• Wolfgram Memorial Library, Widener University

For evaluating Medical and Health information, see also:

• Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine
• Medline Plus guide for "Evaluating Health Information"
• Evaluating Health Websites (for consumers)