Page 266 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

Internet Source Credibility Scoring Tool

As you view a web site, answer the following questions, placing an  or  in the

appropriate box. When finished, total the numbers next to the boxes you selected.

Can you identify the author of the information? YES 1 NO 0

Is there additional biographical data available about the author? YES 1 NO 0

Are a street address and phone number provided on the site? YES 1 NO 0

Is any of the information on the site attributed to other sources? YES 1 NO 0

Can you tell if the web site is commercial, non-profit, governmental, etc.? YES 1 NO 0

Which is it? non-profit 2 government 2 commercial 1 personal 0 other 0

Does the site offer more than one viewpoint? YES 1 NO 0

Are there links or a listing of further resources? YES 1 NO 0

Is the information on the site copyrighted? YES 1 NO 0

Is the URL problematic (does is raise any warning flags for you)? YES 0 NO 1

Is the site scholarly or popular? scholarly 1 popular 0

Poor/unreadable design YES 0 NO 1

Overwhelming graphics YES 0 NO 1

Difficult to navigate YES 0 NO 1

Spelling or grammar errors YES 0 NO 1

When is the last time the web site was updated? 0 unknown 0
last month 2 6 months ago 1 longer than 6 months

Is the article/information date stamped so you know when it was written? YES 1 NO 0
0 NO 1
Are there any dead links on the page you’re using? YES

20 Most likely a credible source.
10-19 Probably contains some credible information, but verify!
1-9 You may spend an awful lot of time verifying information from this site.
0-8 Don’t bother using the site other than for entertainment.

260 Foundations of Learning