Evaluating and Citing Web Sites

 Use the same criteria as for print sources, but electronic sources, by their very nature, present additional problems.

 1.                  ACCURACY

-         almost anyone can publish on the World Wide Web

-         many Web sites do not have editors to verify facts

-         there are no uniform standards applied to Web publishing

-    hypertext links may not be of the same quality; evaluate each link independently.

2.                  AUTHORITY

-         the author of the Web site is often difficult to determine

-         qualifications of the author are rarely given

-         responsibility for the site is often not indicated

-         if there is advertising, is it supplied by the same person or organization as the information content?

3.                  OBJECTIVITY

-         the goals of the “author” are often not clearly stated

-         entertainment? information? advertising? 

4.                  CURRENCY

-         dates are not always indicated on Web pages

-         if a date is present, the meaning is not usually clear

-         date information was first written

-         date information was placed on the Web page

-         date information was last revised 

5.                  COVERAGE

-         Web coverage may differ from its print counterpart

-         It is often hard to determine the extent of the Web coverage 

6.                  INSTABILITY OF THE WEB

-         pages may mover or disappear without notice

-         document each source to the fullest extent possible 

7.                  SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS MAY LIMIT ACCESS

-         or may alter the appearance of the images

-         you might see different things on different computers

8.                  SUSCEPTIBILITY OF WEB PAGES TO ALTERATION

-         accidentally or deliberately

-         try to verify information using other sources (i.e. books or CD-ROMs)

9.                  SEARCH ENGINES CAN RETRIEVE WEB PAGES OUT OF CONTEXT

-         there may or may not be a way of determining the source of the information

-         always try to return to the “home page” to learn the source

* adapted from information developed at Widener University

CITING WEB SITES

 The citation criteria are still evolving.  The following examples follow the current MLA and APA recommendations  Consult their homepages for the latest information.  Include as much of the information as is available. 

MLA                http://www.mla.org         

Author or Editor. “Title of Homepage Section.” Title of Project or Homepage.
            Date of publication. Publisher. Date of access <complete URL> 

Fash, Barbara W. and William L. Fash.  “Saving the Maya Past for the Future:
            Copan’s New Sculpture Museum.” Peabody Museum of Archaeology.
            17 Sept. 1999 <http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/profiles/default.html>.

APA                http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html 

Author. (Publication date). Title. Retrieval statement: complete URL.

 Fash, B.W., & Fash, W.L (n.d.). Saving the Maya past for the future: Copan’s
            new Sculpture museum. Retrieved September 17, 1999 from Peabody
            Museum of Archaeology: http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/profiles/default.html

Chicago Manual of Style             www.press.uchicago.edu/

Author, "Title of Article or Web Page Section," Title of Project or Database, date of the 
publication or last revision - if not known, used n.d., URL, and (date of access). 
 

N	6. Barbara W. Fash and William L. Fash, "Saving the Maya Past for the Future: Copan's New Sculpture Museum," Peabody Museum of Archaeology, 1996, www.peabody.harvard.edu/profiles/default.html (17 September 1999).
B	Fash, Barbara W., and William L. Fash. "Saving the Maya Past for the Future: Copan's New Sculpture Museum." Peabody Museum of Archaeology, 1996, www.peabody.harvard.edu/profiles/default.html (17 September 1999).