The World Wide Web offers a wonderful variety of resources, many of which are not available elsewhere. Some sites are less worthy of your trust than others, though. Before you decide to consult a web site for your research, make sure it stands up to the test: evaluate its quality and legitimacy based on criteria such as Authority, Bias, Currency, and Documentation and delivery.
Authority
Who created the site and what are their credentials? If you cannot answer these questions based on the information that the site provides then the site probably lacks authority: remember that anyone can post anything to the web. Don't rely on unidentified sources that could lead you to come to flawed conclusions in your research.
Bias
Do you see any evidence of bias: Why is the information provided? With whom is the author affiliated? For example, information about the health effects of cigarette smoking published on the web by a tobacco company may differ from information published by the American Lung Association. Always keep in mind your source of information.
Be sure that you take into account the potential for bias in any information resource. Remember that much of the information on the web comes to you without having gone through a formal editorial review process--always be skeptical.
Currency
How current is the information provided on the site? Is it clear when the page was created and/or updated? Is it clear when data was collected? If you cannot answer these questions then the information on the site may no longer be valid.
Documentation and Delivery
Are the facts provided on the site documented? Are there any factual errors? How is the information delivered-are there any grammatical errors? Undocumented facts and grammatical errors may indicate carelessness and a lack of credibility. Verify facts in at least one non-web source before you use them in your research.
