Using a Website as a Source or Reference

When using a URL as a reference, always include the following information in the citation:

• author
• title (for a article)
• the full URL
• the date of access

The Columbia Style Guide is one example of styles to follow for various kinds of online information.

Evaluating Web Documents

The ability to critically evaluate information presented on a web site has become an important skill because anyone can publish anything on the web. There are traditional standards by which printed documents are evaluated as a source. It is not surprising that librarians have adapted these standards to information available from the web. The following three references are worth examining.

• Evaluate your Sources
• Evaluating Web Sites for Educational Use
• ICYouSee: T is for Thinking

The main criteria is given below. The references above offer various questions to help you apply the criteria.

• Purpose of site
  Intended audience, author's objective, bias
• Authorship of site
  Author's identity, credentials, qualifications
• Accuracy of material
  Verifiably, bibliography, relevancy of material and references
• Currency of information
  Page outdated, links current, stability of information
• Document coverage
  Material adequately covered, sufficient detail, gaps, well-balanced

Some Practice Sites

www.mayamysteryschool.net

www.michielb.nl/maya/astro.html

Alignment2012.com