This document provides guidance on how to evaluate websites for credibility and quality in order to determine if they are appropriate sources to cite for school assignments. It recommends using the Five W's - Who, What, When, Where, Why - as a framework to analyze the author's credentials, purpose of site, date of publication, domain type, and sources cited. Students are reminded to consider more than one website and also use print resources, as the quality of sources impacts teachers' evaluation of student work. Being a careful evaluator is important for making informed decisions.

1. Hey there! Have you evaluated? Is that site good enough to cite?

2. Hmmm. This one looks good. How can I tell for sure?

4. Many not worthy of your time

5. Don’t belong on your work cited page!

6. Treasure from trash

7. Sneaky web developers!

9. Yeah, and how can we be sure our teacher will think it’s good enough to cite? Okay, so how do we know if a site is good?

11. What?

12. When?

13. Where?

15. Expert? His or her credentials? Education? Experience? Affiliation?

16. First-hand credibility? For instance, a Vietnam veteran or a witness to Woodstock?

17. Personal page or belongs to a major institution? (Clues pointing to a personal page: ~ tilde, %, users, members) For example: http://personal.statecollege.edu/~ejv114/

20. About us, Who Am I, Contact Us, FAQs, For More, Company Information, Profiles, Our Staff, Home

21. Go to the Home Page

22. http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages/chaucer/smith.htm

23. http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages/chaucer

24. http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages

25. http://www.statecollege.edu/history

27. What information is included and does this information differ from other sites?

28. What is the purpose of this site?

30. .gov

31. .org

32. .edu, .us

33. .museum

34. .kids

35. .biz

36. .net

37. .mil

39. When was it revised?

40. Are these dates meaningful in terms of your information needs?

41. Has the author of the page stopped maintaining it?

43. If so, are his/her sources reliable and credible sources?

44. Is the material reproduced (accurately) from another publication? (Beware of grammar and spelling errors!)

46. Why should I use this information?

48. Did you use print sources?

49. Did you search FactCite?

50. Did you search World Book?

53. What video game should I buy?

54. How can I get to the next level in my game?

55. Which college should I attend?

56. What courses should I take in high school in order to be prepared for college?You want to be able to ensure the information you choose is reliable, credible, current, balanced, relevant, and accurate!

57. Just as you evaluate your sources . . . Your teacher will evaluate your work based on the quality of the sources you select. Evaluate carefully. Don’t settle for good enough! Quality always counts!

58. Evaluation is important!Learn to be fussy!