Study Toolbox: Critically Evaluating Websites

Check the domain name of the website as this gives you an indication of the nature and authority of the website.  Use the URL domain name to help determine the type of organisation.  For example:

• .gov or .govt = government
• .org = non-profit organisation
• .co = company
• .com or .net = commercial
• .edu or .ac or .school = academic/educational
• .nz or .au = country-specific website

For example, the domain name tells you that https://www.sit.ac.nz is educational and country-specific.  This shows it is the official website of the Southern Institute of Technology, a New Zealand educational institution. 

Currency asks the question ‘is the information current’?  It is important to know when a website was created, when it was last updated and if all the links are working.  Knowing a website’s currency allows you to judge if a website is up to date with current facts and opinions of a topic or if the information is out of date which may mean it is inaccurate and/or misleading. 

To discover a website’s currency consider the following questions:

• When was the information first posted on the website?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Are there references to recently published materials?
• Are all the links working? 

The date of creation and last update is often found at the bottom of a website.  If a website has no date of publication, the information provided cannot always be dated to a time period.  This makes it difficult to judge if the information represents current opinion of the topic or if the information is out of date.  If the website’s links do not work this indicates that the website is not being maintained and the information presented may not be current. 

When judging the currency of a website it is important to take the topic into consideration.  For some websites regular updating of information is vital.  However, for some types of information such as historical information the authorship and authority is more important than the currency. 

One of the critical steps in evaluating a website is questioning if the information is accurate.

To evaluate a website’s accuracy consider the following questions:

• Is the author affiliated with a known, respectable institution?
• Are references included to identify where any factual information and data comes from?
• Are the references used real, credible and relevant?
• Can you verify the information in another source?
• Is the information consistent with other authors’ findings and websites on the same topic?
• Does the text follow basic rules of grammar, spelling and composition?
• Is a bibliography or reference list included?

Check the accuracy of information found on websites by checking the sources and references used and research the topic to compare the information with other reliable sources.  If you find factual errors, you may want to question the quality and accuracy of the website.

When evaluating a website it is important to investigate if the website is objective or if there is some form of bias.  Bias occurs when an author allows personal opinions, beliefs and/or values to influence how information is presented.  Bias inhibits impartial judgement leading to information being presented in a misleading and/or inaccurate way.

To investigate if a website is objective or biased ask the following questions:

• What is the purpose of this website?  Is it to persuade, present a point of view, disclose, entertain, sell a product or service, justify the author’s own actions/opinions or present data and facts?
• Does the author present objective arguments or is the author expressing their biased opinion without evidence to back up this opinion?
• Is the author affiliated to an organisation or institution that promotes a particular viewpoint?  Is the author promoting this viewpoint on the website?
• Are alternative sides of the issue or topic presented?
• Are there any political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?
• Is advertising present on the website?
• Is the website part of a commercial organisation, a political party or an organisation with a specific agenda?  If yes, question the motives for publishing the information.
• What is the objective of those involved in the development of the website?  Does the site show a bias towards the developer’s particular point of view? 

Because anyone can publish on the internet investigating bias is a critical step in deciding if a website is accurate and reliable.  It is important to identify the purpose of the website because this effects how information is interpreted and presented.  When investigating if a website presents an objective discussion of a topic consider who runs the website and if this may affect the interpretation of information.  Also, the presence of advertising may signal a bias towards the advertiser’s products, values and/or beliefs so it is important you assess any advertising on the website. 

When evaluating a website for objectivity and bias check for a sound argument, supporting facts and references that include reliable sources representing more than one point of view.