Evaluating a Website
CARS Evaluation Checklist
Not all the sources on the internet are equally valuable or reliable. Individual sites are not necessarily
Screened or standardized in any way to determine if the information they provide is accurate, factual, or
useful.
When conducting research on the internet, carefully consider these questions in the review of all web
pages from which you may be considering using the information provided.
Questions to Ask
Things To Look For
Credibility
 Who wrote the page and can you contact him or  Make sure the author provides an e-mail or a
her?
contact address/phone number.
 What is the purpose of the document and why
 What are the author’s credentials?
was it produced? (i.e. to persuade, education,
 experience and/or educational qualifications
remind, etc)
 What institution(s) and/or organization(s) is
 Is this person qualified to write this document?
the author affiliated with?
 What is the evidence of quality control?
 Is the site sponsored or co-sponsored by an
individual or group that has created other
websites.
 What institution (company, government, or
college or university, etc) or internet provider
supports this information?
 Check the URL or back up the address in the
Location Box to find out.
 Understand the distinction between author and
webmaster.
Accuracy
 When was the information produced and last
updated? Are the links working?
 Who is the target audience?
 How comprehensive is the document?
 Is the information popular or scholarly in
nature?
 Check for the date the page was last updated.
Check for broken links.
 Who is the target audience – novices or experts
on the subject? - Special interest groups,
researchers, children, etc.?
 Does the depth of information match with the
potential audience?
 Would other information resources provide
more detailed and accurate information (i.e.
journals, primary or secondary research)?
 What aspects of a topic are not covered by the
site?
 Is the site primarily images without content?
Questions to Ask
Things To Look For
Reasonableness
 What goals/objectives does this page meet?
 How detailed is the information?
 What opinions (if any) are expressed by the
author?
 Is the page associated with some form of
advertising?
 Determine if the page is a mask for advertising;
if so, the information may be biased.
 View any webpage as you would an infomercial
on television. Why and for whom was it
written?
 Do messages appear across the screen
prompting use of other services?
Support
 Is the information presented cited correctly?
 Are supporting links on the topic provided?
 Is additional software required to view the site
or access the information?
 Are viewing options recommended or
available?
 Is the information free?
 Are references and a bibliography provided?
 Are the links evaluated and do they compliment
the documents theme?
 Is there a comprehensive list of links that
covers a range of resources?
 Are there pictures and/or graphs that provide
useful extensions of information?
 Is supporting software provided?
 Is there an option for text only, or frames, or a
suggested browser for better viewing?
 Are there provisions for accessing the
information such as registrations or fees for
service?
Note: When trying to identify the author and/or producer of the website and/or information:
 Check the top or bottom of the page and/or article
 If a name is not given directly on the page, try opening the View menu and select “Source or
Document Source” to find out who wrote the page and the date it was first written.
 Or, check the origin of the page by using a link to a “Home” or “starting page,” or go back to
the address up in the Location Box to move closer to the Home Page.
Part of a Web Address
Example: http://stauffer.queensu.ca/inforef/qcat.html
http: access method via web
stauffer.queensu.ca  website
inforef  file directory
qcat.html  file name
Special Identifying Features
queensu: “u”  u for university
queensu.ca: “ca”  ca for Canada
www.harvard.edu: “edu” for an educational institution
www.cma-ontario.org: “org”  for an organization
http://lycos.com: “com”  for a company
Adapted from : CARS Evaluation Checklist. (2004, June 11). Queen’s University Library. Retrieved
October 4, 2007 from http://library.queensu.ca/infoef/guides/evalchart.htm.