Website Evaluation Guide
Name of Website:
Date of Access:
URL:
How did you locate this site? (Search, recommendation, link from another site, etc)
Author
or Publisher:
Who wrote this page? Was it an individual or group, business or agency, etc?
What can you find out about the author(s)?
Is there “About Us” type of information? Does it really tell you who or what the site represents?
Content:
Date of Publication:
Last updated:
Does the site have the information you are looking for?
Can you verify the information for accuracy? (Are there links to source data?)
Is the focus broad or narrow?
Is it an overview or in-depth?
Is the content consistent with what you already know about the topic?
Can you discern the purpose of the author? Was the site written to inform or persuade you?
If the site is selling you something, does it give you enough information about the product so you can make an informed purchase?
Are the links appropriate to the content, or are they unrelated?
Is it easy to find the information you are looking for on this site, or is it confusing?
Is there a site search available to you?
Are the links all working and valid links?
Recommendations:
Who recommends this site? (Teacher, friend, other websites, a reputable business or agency?)
Would you recommend it to others? Why or why not?
Other:
Any other insights that help you /concern you about this site.
Examples
Example of a good website:
Accessed 6/6/05
URL: http://www.kid-at-art.com
Author/Publisher information is easy to find, right on the homepage, and the purpose of the site is clearly stated: “to teach children and their caregivers creative ways to recycle by creating art.” A biography of the author is available on site.
The site is partially sponsored by a waste management company—appropriate to the content of the site.
Content of the site is in agreement with the stated purpose. The instructions for the different activities are clear and leave room for individual creativity. Illustrations of some artwork are clickable to enlarge.
Ease of Use—click on the department you want to go to, then the activity. If you need some guidance, there are project, badge and trash matching departments to help you find an appropriate activity. Instructions for activities are mostly text-based. Each page has a “return to department” icon that will take you back to the homepage.
Links to other sites are categorized in a department all their own. All of the links I checked worked. Categories are: Artsy, Just for fun and general information, and Environmental Issues. I liked that, even though this is a site that encourages recycling, the environmental links were the last listed.
Feedback about the site is encouraged. One link was to the Mail Art Show which occurred in 2000 no longer takes you to view the show, but tells you that the show closed. All of the information about the show and submission requirements is still available.
Example of a poor website:
Accessed 6/7/05
URL: http://www.teach-nology.org
Author/Publisher information was easy to find in About Us, however no specific people were identified, so we don’t know just who these teachers and other educational experts are.
Content is good and timely. There are links to outside sources.
Ease of use is what makes this site, in my opinion, poor. It is relatively easy to find what you want to know, but using it is another story. I did some of the tutorials. Having to scroll halfway down the page to get to the tutorial content each time I went to the next page was time consuming and annoying. The flashing, unrelated ads were extremely distracting. I tried turning one off, and was redirected to that ad’s site. I tried answering no, I was redirected to that site; I didn’t bother to answer yes, maybe that would have closed the ad.
Other—the quality of the site-specific content is good and has been very useful. I recognize and they do state in their privacy and advertising polices that they do use clickable ads; and that these ads support the site. The problems I have with this site are more design issues; I think that they could be fairly easily addressed. I will use this site as a “last resort” if I can’t find what I need on a more “user friendly” one. Different levels of membership are offered for a fee, which provide some extras not available to the general public.