Accuracy
How reliable and free from error is the information?
Are there editors and fact checkers?
Authority
What are the author's qualifications for writing on the subject?
How reputable is the publisher?
Objectivity
Is the information free from bias?
Is the author openly trying to sway opinion, or to advocate for a position?
Currency
Is the contect of the work up-to-date?
Is the publication date clearly noted?
Coverage
Is a range of topics included in the work?
Are the topics explored in any depth?
General Information to Consider
What is the document's URL?
What is the document's domain? (for example: .com, .edu, .gov, .mil, .net, org)
Who is the author of the document?
What "type" of document is it?
Purpose
Who is the intended audience for this document?
What does the purpose of the document seem to be (e.g., inform, persuade, entertain)?
How can you tell (on what basis did you come to the above conclusions)?
Authority
Does the author list his or her credentials for writing on the topic?
Is there a link from the document to a "Parent institution" that might sugggest some measure of oversight over the content?
Is there a non-web version of the material that might allow you to verify its legitimacy?
Accuracy
Does the document include a list of sources consulted which you might use to verify accuracy?
Is it clear who has ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of the document's content?
Objectivity
Is there a statement or other evidence to suggest that the document has the official approval of a sponsoring institution?
Does the author's affiliation with this institution suggest any possible bias?
Lack of Filtering
The majority of Web documents are not subjected to any kind of selection process.
The filtering that does exist may often be highly subjective.
Lack of Editorial Oversight
The majority of Web documents are mounted independently, without benefit of editorial oversight or fact-checking (web-based information my or may not be accurate).
Ambiguous Authority
Anyone can publish on the web.
Responsibility for authorship is not always apparent.
Author's qualifications for writing on a subject are often absent.
Lack of Objectivity
There are many types of Web documents (news, marketing, government, educational, personal, etc.) and they all look largely alike but there are varying standards for objectivity.
Many Web documents blend fact, opinion, entertainment and advertising into a seamless whole.
Currency
Dates are not always included on Web documents.
When included, dates may be ambiguous (e.g., date of creation vs. date of last update).
Inconsistency and Instability of Web Resources
Not all Web documents are of equal quality (each must be evaluated independently).
Web documents can be altered without notice.
Web documents can disappear and be unavailable for later review.