Who authored and/or sponsored the website? The open web and social media in particular tend to obscure and even eliminate traditional authorial and editorial distinctions that have helped past researchers to evaluate information. Exhibit skepticism about any site that does not make it easy to identify the author, creator, or sponsoring organization.
- Look for a direct attribution (e.g., by "Jane Doe").
- Look for an "About" section or link on the site's homepage.
- Have multiple authors or sponsors contributed to the site's content?
- Who has ultimate authority for the information presented?
If you find an author, try to learn more about them:
- What are the author's educational or professional credentials?
- Is the author a professor or practicing professional (e.g., a journalist)?
- Is the author an amateur or enthusiast?
- Are their qualifications listed? Can you find a biography, resume or CV?
- What have others written about the author(s)? Look for comment and opinion by recognized authorities. Has the author been caught up in controversy or scandal? Does the author appear as an AUTHOR or SUBJECT in WorldCat. Do they have an entry in a library reference work such as Biography Reference Bank.
If the only attribution you can find is a sponsoring organization:
- What is the organization's stated purpose? Is it a for profit, issue advocacy, or educational institution?
- Is the sponsoring organization financed by the government or private funds? Can you tell?
- Again, what have others written? The simplest approach to finding out more is simply to Google the organization's name. Better yet would be to consult a reference work such as Gale's Encyclopedia of Associations.
The above questions can help you to assess the quality of information on a website, which in turn can affect the way you understand the information presented.