| You
should ask yourself the following questions about these particular
clues that you may discover in your web site searching for
the perfect information.
1.
URL - The website's address can
offer some clue to the author and publishing body?
Check
the domain, it will give you a hint as to where it comes from.
Is it educational (.edu), nonprofit (.org), commerical (.com),
governmental (.gov), etc.
www.helixcharter.net
2.
Author
- Who is the author,
his or her credentials, position, authority on the subject
written, education, political views?
You
can search for biographical information online elsewhere or
even check for it on the site. See if the author provides
their email address, mailing address and phone number.
3.
Publishing Body - Who pubished the
site?
Check
for the server computer from which the site is issued. The
server should make sense, varify if it is a well known server.
Look for it in the url.
www.helixcharter.net
4.
Currency - When was the sited created
and last updated?
Verify
the copywrite date is fairly current and being maintained.
Is the information sufficiently current for the topic?
5.
Content and Scope - How much information
and what kind of information does this site cover?
How
indepth is the informatio? Does it match your expectations?
Does it focus on your specific research? Is it written well,
with no grammatical errors?
6.
Audience - Who is the author writing
the site for?
Commerical
sites are often attempting to sell their audience, educational
sites attempt to instruct, and nonprofits are looking for
support for their causes. Is the site written for adults or
children, doctors or the general public. You can determine
the audience often by reading the first few paragraphs.
7.
Bias - How objective is the author
and what point is he or she trying to make?
Rarely
is any writing nuetral, every author is trying to prove their
stance. Hopefully the author tries to present both sides and
research to support their vantage point.
8.
Documentation - Does the site have
sources linked to it and what are they and are they current?
Investigating
the sources helps you understand whether the work is founded
upon previous research or not. A diligent search may uncover
whether the sources are up to date and scholarly or even offered
at all. Some sites list resources that may not exist to gain
your support falsely.
9.
Links to and From - What
kinds of sites are listed as resources and which sites have
links to it?
If
well respected sites are linked to it and are linked within
the site that is a clue to its value. Also are the links working
and the pages within the site complete?
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