1.  URL   Read the URL carefully.

Look for a personal name. Is the website one created for personal use?
What is the domain (.gov, .mil, .us, .edu .org)? Is the server a commercial site (.com)?
Who published the page? (Located in first portion of URL between http:// and the first/).

2.  Authority    Who wrote the page?
Look for the name of the author, organization, institution, agency, or anyone responsible for the page.
What is the purpose of the page (to inform, to give facts, to give data, to explain, to persuade, to sell, to entice, or to share)?
What is the basis of the author’s authority? Are the credentials given? Is the author a well-regarded name? Does the online document contain a biography and an email address?
Are you led to additional information about the author?
Where did the author get the information?
Is the information free of errors in spelling, grammar and typing?
Do links (related sites/related links) work and are they appropriate for the intended audience?
Does the website have requirements of registering with personal information to use the site?

3.  Bias   Does the website try to persuade rather than inform?
Does the website contain games, giveaways, contests, or celebrity endorsements?
Is it clear what organization is sponsoring the page? Is there a link to the organization’s site?
Is the page actually an ad disguised as information?

4. Citations
Is there a source bibliography for the information given on the webpage?
If there are citations given, are they full citations that can lead you to the book or periodical in the library?
Is the information used out of context?

5. Dates
Does the website include the date that it was created?
Does the website include the date it was updated?
Does the website have a copyright date?

6. Efficiency
How quickly does the website take to load?
Are there a lot of large graphics on the web pages?
What is the speed of download time to put the page into your cache?
Is the website easy to navigate?  Are the links in some type of logical order.

7. Handicapped Access
Does the page, including graphics, provide a text-based version?
Are there text alternatives for graphics software to “read?”

Remember to apply the five W’s when evaluating a website.
Who wrote the pages and are they an expert in the field?
What does the author say is the purpose of the site?
When was the site created, updated, and last worked on?
Why is the information useful?

Search “Evaluation of Internet Resources” at Librarians' Internet Index

Barker, Joe, “Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask.” Regents of University of California 22March2005. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

Schrock, Kathy. “Teaching Media Literacy in the Age of the Internet: The ABCs of Website Evaluation.” Classroom Connect: A Harbrace Education Company December 1998/January 1999.