Vetting a website

In the four year run up to the recent election, I was one of the millions of people who were disgusted by the seeming endless stream of false news stories that were Facebooked and Twittered around the world. This was upsetting but not surprising. I realized a number of years ago that students have little understanding of the difference between a "reliable" website, a site that needs heavy skepticism, and one that should be dismissed out of hand. Further, I came to know that many of my adult Facebook correspondents have even less ability to discriminate.

With that in mind, I searched for a quick, clear set of criteria for making judgements about what the internet makes available. That's when I came upon the CRAAP test out of the California State University at Chico. I liked it a lot -- Currency, Relevence, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose. Of course, it may be difficult to judge accuracy, but if that sends you searching for more answers, then that is a good thing.

Still, I didn't think it covered all sites and all searches, so, in the same scatological vein, I came up with two tests of my own. The first looks at the source of the sites (POOP). The second looks at scholarly sites (SSHIT). Take a look for yourself below.

 Finally, for those who want or need something less, um, well you know..., I include Kathy Schrock's Five Ws.

 Enjoy, use, share! Let's learn to control the beast.

The CRAAP Test

California State University at Chico

Evaluation Criteria

Currency: The timeliness of the information.

When was the information published or posted?

Has the information been revised or updated?

Is the information current or out-of-date for your topic?

Are the links functional?

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.

Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?

Who is the intended audience?

Is the information at an appropriate level?

Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?

Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Authority: The source of the information.

Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?

Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?

Is the author a teacher or student of the topic?

Does the author have a reputation?

Is there contact information, such as an e-mail address?

Has the author published works in traditional formats?

Is the author affiliated with an organization?

Does this organization appear to support or sponsor the page?

What does the domain name/URL reveal about the source of the information, if anything?

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the informational content.

Where does the information come from?

Are the original sources of information listed?

Can you verify any of the information in independent sources or from you own knowledge?

Has the information been reviewed or referred?

Does the language or tone seem biased?

Are there spelling, grammar, or other typos?

Purpose: The reason the information exists.

Are possible biases clearly stated?

Is advertising content vs. informational content easily distinguishable?

Are editorials clearly labeled?

Is the purpose of the page stated?

Is the purpose to: inform? teach? entertain? enlighten? sell? persuade?

Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

Sites that passed the CRAAP test:

http://espn.go.com/ - Passed most of the evaluation criteria of the CRAAP test

http://www.usatoday.com/ - Another site that passed that CRAAP test, having good scores in all of the sub categories of the test

Sites that failed the CRAAP test:

http://www.wikipedia.org/ - An informative site with a lot of good facts, but because it can be edited by any person, there is also a lot of false information in the site. Best to pursue the citations.

http://www.foxnews.com/ - A news site with good information but is very biased towards a certain political approach. It only reports what supports its bias.

The POOP Test (A shorter version of the CRAAP Test)

Producers:

Who created the site?

o A Commercial organization? A political one? A government one?

Knowing who created the site can help us understand their point of view and intentions

This is important in determining which information is likely to be influenced by attitude.

Objectives:

What is the producer trying to accomplish?

o Some sites have as their purpose the spread of information, others are trying to foster an attitude. This makes a difference in what information is chosen and how it is presented.

Obligations:

To whom does the producer owe something?

o Some sites are created primarily for site visitors. They are influenced by visitor needs.

o Others are beholding to a parent organization. They are influenced by the attitudes and needs of that organization.

o Sites created by businesses are deeply concerned with making money for themselves and any possible stockholders.

Proposals:

What are they suggesting the consumer do or believe?

o How will the site producers benefit from the actions they propose?

o What is the cost to the visitor in time, money, or effort for doing what the site suggests?

o Who is benefited? Who is hurt?

The SSHIT Test (the real dirt)

Finally, we're looking for sites that we can trust because they provide:                                                               Studies that repeatedly produce the same results

Statistics that are long term and inclusive

Historical reliability, having been proven accurate again and again

Independently reviewed information

Timely studies that reflect the most recent trends

If you are of a less scatological bent you might prefer Kathy Schrock’s

THE FIVE W’S OF WEBSITE EVALUATION

WHO

Who wrote the pages and are they an expert?

Is a biography of the author included?

How can I find out more about the author?

WHAT

What does the author say is the purpose of the site?

What else might the author have in mind for the site?

What makes the site easy to use?

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

WHEN

When was the site created?

When was the site last updated?

WHERE

Where does the information come from?

Where can I look to find out more about the sponsor of the site?

WHY

Why is this information useful for my purpose?

Why should I use this information?

Why is this page better than another?

(http://kathyschrock.net/abceval/5ws.pdf)

or

the University of Southern Maine’s Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources

Is the Web a good research tool? This question is dependent on the researcher's objective. As in traditional print resources one must use a method of critical analysis to determine its value. Here is a checklist for evaluating web resources to help in that determination.

Authority:

Is the information reliable? Check the author's credentials and affiliation. Is the author an expert in the field? Does the resource have a reputable organization or expert behind it? Are the sources of information stated? Can you verify the information? Can the author be contacted for clarification? Check for organizational or author biases.

Scope:

Is the material at this site useful, unique, accurate or is it derivative, repetitious, or doubtful? Is the information available in other formats? Is the purpose of the resource clearly stated? Does it fulfill its purpose? What items are included in the resource? What subject area, time period, formats or types of material are covered? Is the information factual or opinion? Does the site contain original information or simply links? How frequently is the resource updated? Does the site have clear and obvious pointers to new content?

Format and Presentation:

Is the information easy to get to? How many links does it take to get to something useful? What is the quality of the graphical images? Do these images enhance the resource or distract from the content? Is the target audience or intended users clearly indicated? Is the arrangement of links uncluttered? Does the site have its own search engine? Is the site easily browsable or searchable?

Cost and Accessibility:

Is the site available on a consistent basis? Is response time fast? Does the site have a text-based alternative? How many links lead to a dead-end? Is this a fee-based site? Can non-members still have access to part of the site? Must you register a name and password before using the site?

Other Tips:

Check the header and footer information to determine the author and source. In the URL, a tilde ~ usually indicated a personal web directory rather than being part of the organization's official web site. In order to verify an author's credentials, you may need to consult some printed sources such as Who's Who in America or the Biography Index. Check and compare the web site to others which are both similar and different.

For more information on how to evaluate:

This site has an excellent bibliography of other internet and print resources on evaluating web resources. It is updated by a librarian, Nicole J. Auer, at Virginia Tech on a regular basis.

http://www.lib.vt.edu/instruct/evaluate/