Provide empirical evidence to support the website as a credible source for inclusion in a scholarly assignment.
Evaluating a Website for Credibility Guidelines
a) identify and evaluate a website for credibility
b) provide empirical evidence to support the website as a credible source for inclusion in a scholarly assignment, and
c) present ideas in a clear, succinct, and scholarly manner
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Selects a health-related website with the domain indicated as .org or .gov.
2. Introduction section includes 6 elements:
a. clearly names the website
b. describes the purpose of the website
c. The search engine used to locate the website is named. You may use EBSCO host, Pubmed, Proquest, OVID, Brittanica online, CREDO reference or Faulkner
d. The domain of the website is identified.
e. The rationale for the selection of the website is discussed.
f. The Web Address, also known as the URL or uniform resource locator, is provided. This typically begins with “http://…”
3. Provides a thorough analysis of the website, using the following five criteria: authority, information, objectivity, ease of navigation, and privacy and security policies.
Authority
When evaluating a website for authority, determine if the author is qualified as an expert in the subject matter. The authority of the author may be associated with the source. For example, when an article is published in a scholarly research journal, you can be reasonably assured that it has undergone extensive review by subject matter experts; this is known as peer review. The information found on the Internet could range from peer-reviewed from a credible source to merely someone’s opinion; therefore, it is important to determine if the site lists the credentials of the author of the information. If so, then ask yourself if the author is an expert in the field who is qualified to provide the information. Does the website provide contact information for the author (Anderson & Klemm, 2008)?
