Anthropology M09: Sex, Gender and Culture - Barbier: Using the Web

Whenever you are considering using a website as a source, it is very important that you review the contents in detail. An easy way to make a determination is to use Jim Kapoun's Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages:

1. Accuracy - Can you find an actual author? Is the contact information provided correct? 
2. Authority - Does the author have any credentials? Have they conducted any research? What makes them an expert? 
3. Objectivity - Is the information biased? Are they linked to other organizations (especially commercial)? 
4. Currency - When was the last update to this website? 
5. Coverage - How in depth is the material? Is it basic, informative information you can get anywhere else?

There are many other resources to evaluate web pages. One of the more interesting examples is CSU Chico's CRAAP Test.

©2002 The New Yorker Collection from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.

Limiting  your search to specific domains can remove some of the less reputable websites from your Google searches. 

Note: .edu and .org sites more than likely will NOT count as scholarly sources for this course. 

.com - commercial or business

.edu - educational institution

.org - organization (often non-profit)

.gov - government organization