Website Evaluation Guide BUZL43AE Mla Websiteeval
User Manual: BUZL43AE
Open the PDF directly: View PDF 
.
Page Count: 11
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
Example of a Website that is credible
Author: This author is a
journalist and has verifiable
credentials
Currency: This article provides a
publishing date and it is current
Citations & Links: News articles don’t usually
have or require citations, but a good source
provides links for further reading on the
subject
Publisher: This site provides a
publisher, who upon investigation,
was found to take responsibility
for their content and to be
credible
Within the article
Article Footer
Top of the article
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
Example of a Website that is credible
Author: This author is a
journalist and has verifiable
credentials
Currency: This article provides a
publishing date and it is current
Citations & Links: A good
source provides citations for
its information as well as links
for further reading on the
subject
Publisher: This site provides a
publisher, who upon investigation,
was found to take responsibility
for their content and to be
credible
Within the article
Article Footer
Top of the article
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
Example of a Website that is credible
Author: This author is a
journalist and has verifiable
credentials
Currency: This article provides a
publishing date and it is current
Citations & Links: News articles don’t usually
have or require citations, but a good source
provides links for further reading on the
subject
Publisher: This site provides a
publisher, who upon investigation,
was found to take responsibility
for their content and to be
credible
Within the article
Article Footer
Top of the article
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
Example of a Website that may be credible
Author: This authors for this
site vary greatly in their
journalistic experience and
credentials, therefore it is
difficult to know whether this
content should be trusted.
Currency: This article provides a
publishing date and it is current
Citations & Links: News articles don’t
usually have or require citations, but
should at least provide links for
further reading on the subject
Publisher: This site provides a
publisher, who upon investigation,
was found to be credible, but
doesn’t necessarily take
responsibility for the content
Within the article
Article Footer
Top of the article
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
Example of a Website that may be credible
Author: The authors on this site
range in journalistic experience
and credentials, and therefore it
is difficult to decide if the
information they present should
be trusted.
Currency: This article provides a
publishing date and it is current
Citations & Links: News articles don’t usually
have or require citations, but should at least
provide links for further reading on the
subject
Publisher: This site provides a
publisher, who upon investigation,
was found to be credible but
doesn’t necessarily take
responsibility for the content they
publish.
Within the article
Article Footer
Top of the article
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
Example of a Website that may be credible
Author: The authors of the
reviews for this site vary greatly
in their journalistic experience
and credentials, therefore it is
difficult to decide whether the
information provided should be
trusted.
Currency: Each individual review
provides a publishing date.
Citations & Links: News articles don’t usually
have or require citations, but should at least
give links to related topics.
Publisher: This site provides a
publisher, who upon investigation,
was found to be credible, but
doesn’t necessarily take
responsibility for the content they
provide.
Within the article
Article Footer
Top of the article
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
Example of a Website that is not credible
Author: The authors on this site are only identified
by a first name initial and last name. Therefore it
is impossible to search for them and discern their
credibility/expertise/level of knowledge on the
topic on which they are writing.
Currency: This article
provides a publishing date
and it is current, but not
all articles on this site are
up to date.
Publisher: This site provides a
publisher, who upon
investigation, was found to be
of questionable credibility and
does not take responsibility
for the content that is
published.
Top of the article/Within the article
Citations & Links:
The articles on this
site do not cite their
information.
Following the related
article links leads to
questionable. This is
a site that publishes
massive amounts of
articles based on
what will direct the
most amount of web
searches to their
page in order to
drive up their ad
revenue, as opposed
to publishing articles
because they want to
provide good and
reliable information.
Article Footer
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
Example of a Website that is not credible
Currency: This article does not
provide a publication date,
therefore it is impossible to tell
whether the information it
provides is out of date.
Citations & Links: The articles on
this site do not cite their
information. Following the related
article links leads to questionable
content, and reveals one of the main
criticisms of eHow.com. This is a site
that publishes massive amounts of
articles based on what will direct the
most amount of web searches to
their page in order to drive up their
ad revenue, as opposed to
publishing articles because they
want to provide good and reliable
information.
Publisher: This site provides a publisher, who upon
investigation, was found to have questionable
credibility and who does not take responsibility for the
content they provide.
Within the article
Article Footer
Top of the article
Author: The authors on this site
are not given, and therefore it
is impossible to discern their
credentials and authority to
speak on any given subject.
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
Example of a Website that is not credible
Within the article
Article Footer
Top of the article
Currency: This article does not
provide a publication date,
therefore it is impossible to tell
whether the information it
provides is out of date.
Citations & Links: The articles on
this site do not cite their
information. Following the related
article links leads to questionable
content.
Publisher: This site provides a publisher, who upon
investigation, was found to have questionable
credibility and who does not take responsibility for the
content they provide.
Author: The authors on this site
are not given, and therefore it
is impossible to discern their
credentials and authority to
speak on any given subject.
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
A Special Note on Wikipedia
Author: The authors on this site
are all users, and therefore it is
impossible to discern their
credentials and authority to
speak on any given subject.
This is the main reason why
Wikipedia.org should not be
cited. While many of the articles
on the site have citations and
current dates, the fact that the
information is scholarly in
nature and yet lacks credible
authors is unacceptable.
Currency: This article provides a publishing
date and it is current, but not all articles on
this site are up to date.
Citations & Links: This source
provides citations for the
information published as well as
links to related content. However,
this is not necessarily true of all
articles on this site. Its better to
use the citations to help you find
credible sources
Publisher: This site provides a publisher,
who upon investigation, was found to be
credible but does not take responsibility
for the content that is published.
Within the article
Article Footer
Top of the article
Wikipedia is a good source of general reference information that usually has data that is on par
with other encyclopedias. However, when one is writing a research paper it is never favorable to
cite general reference sources. Primary and specific sources are always the best sources of
information. Wikipedia, and other encyclopedias, are good for users who wish to obtain general
information. Wikipedia can also be useful for starting research if you investigate the sources they
are citing to obtain more specific knowledge.
Citing a website article - MLA
Cite it at easybib.com
Website: A collection of online informational pages on the world wide web
that typically covers related topics
Structure: Last, First M. Website article. Website. Publisher, Date published.
Web. Date accessed. <URL>.
*Note: URL is optional. Consult your teacher
Citation: Satalkar, Bhakti. Water Aerobics." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 15 July
2010. Web. 16 July 2010.
AUTOMATICALLY CITE YOUR SOURCES FOR FREE AT WWW.EASYBIB.COM
Data accessed: Depends on the day
When did you access the source? Web sources may change and must be considered unique
Website
Website article
Bottom of article
Author
Date electronically published:
7/15/10
Article footer – Often contains website publisher information
Website publisher
Website Evaluation Guide
Criteria for Evaluating Websites
Main Criteria Descriptions/Details Possible Answers
Author Who is providing the information?
What do you know about them and their
credentials, are they an expert?
Can you find out more and contact them?
Search for author or publisher in search engine.
Has the author written several publication on the
topic?
User generated, journalist,
varies greatly, none given/no,
NA, Scholars in research
Publisher/
Affiliation
Is there a sponsor or affiliation?
Who is linking to the page?
Do they take responsibility for the content?
Credible publisher, yes but
doesn't take responsibility, NA,
questionable publisher
questionable responsibility, Yes
but not credible, yes but not
necessarily credible
Bias/
Balance/
Purpose
Is the language free of emotion?
Does the organization or author indicate there
will be bias?
Is the website to inform or spread an agenda?
Are there ads? Are they trying to make money?
Why did they write the article?
Sometimes, Sometimes -
rightist, Sometimes - leftist,
corporate sponsorship, seems
balanced, NA, generates content
to sell ad space
Citations &
Links
Copy and paste a sentence into Google to see if
the text can be found elsewhere
Are there links to related sites and organized?
Citations/Bibliography provided?
Citations, citations and links,
links, no, NA, maybe
Accuracy Is the Data verifiable and accurate? Good, unknown, varies, NA
Complete Is the source comprehensive? Good, unknown, varies, NA
Currency When was the source last updated?
Does the source even have a date?
Yes - Up to date, Yes - Varies,
no, NA, unknown
Design &
Quality
Is the overall web design easy to use?
Is it presented in a professional manner?
Does it seem like current design?
Good, NA, Bad, old site, average
Reproduced Was it reproduced? If so, from where? Type a
sentence in Google to verify
If it was reproduced, was it done so with
permission? Copyright/disclaimer included?
No, NA, Yes with permission, yes
without permission, sometimes
with permission, sometimes
without permission
Credible Based on previous criteria, decide whether the
source is credible overall
Yes, No, NA, Maybe
