Simon Fraser University – English Bridge Program
Academic Writing

Web Site Evaluation Assignment

Your name:
URL:
Title:	
Authority & Purpose
1.	Which person/organization/institution is responsible for this page?

Look for a header or footer that gives institutional affiliation. Look at the domain in the URL is it .gov, .edu, .com, .org, .ac, .net ?

2.	What gives the author his/her authority/expertise?

Look for an “About us” button

3.	Can you contact the author directly? e.g. Is there an e-mail link?

4.	What is the tone of the page? 
e.g. Is it formal, serious, humorous etc? What is its main purpose? E.g. to persuade, entertain, inform etc?

		
Objectivity

1.	What kind of information is presented? Is it anecdotal? Factual? Commercial? Promotional?

2.	Is there any evidence of point of view or bias?

3.	Is there advertising? If so, is it related to the informational content of the page?
		
Content/Relevancy

1.	Does the information meet your research needs?

2.	How complete is this information?

3.	What evidence is presented to support the authors’ point of view?

4.	How reliable are the links? Are they well maintained? i.e. Do they work?

5.	What kinds of links are they? 

6.	How readable is the site?  Is the page well-designed?		
Accuracy & Currency

1.	Are the facts and figures accurate – are sources provided so you can verify them?

2.	When was the page produced?

3.	How recently was it updated?

4.	Is any information outdated?
		
Any other observations/comments?