EVALUATION GUIDE When in doubt, do not use the source. Remember, the Internet is a self-publishing medium.  ANYONE can publish ANYTHING on the Internet, so not all of the information is accurate. Use the following criteria to evaluate an Internet site. 1.  Home page         Does it include an index or table of contents?          Is it organized and easy to use? 2.  Author         Who created the site?         Who updates the site? 3.  Publisher  (The publisher may be a company; the company may also be the author.)         Who published the site?         What is the purpose for publishing the information? 4.  Sources         Are bibliographic references listed?         Can the information be verified in a print source? 5.  Date of site        When was the site created?         When is it updated?         How often is it updated/revised? 6.  Links         Does this site offer links to other valuable resources? 7.  Bias  (Site offers one viewpoint only--the information is slanted.)         Is the information in the site biased or not?         Does the biased viewpoint affect the information? 8.  Address—Where does the site originate? .gov – This is a government published web site. These tend to be published for the purpose of sharing information with the public. .mil - This is a military web site. .edu – This is an educational site. It can be a kindergarten to high school to college level site. Therefore, be aware of the grade level of the author who published the information; first grade or sixth grade students or college professors can publish their research on these sites. .org – This is a not-for-profit organization. Libraries and PBS are well-known not-for-profit organizations. .com – Commercial vendors publish this information, and they are selling a product of some sort.   Someone pays to have the web site published through this medium. .net – Network vendors are similar to commercial vendors and are also selling product.   Someone pays to have the web site published through this medium. .ny.us – The two digit postal abbreviations followed by the United States abbreviation identifies an official state government site. .uk – These two digit abbreviations identify a site from another country. Salem Central School Home Page Heather Norman, MLS salemhslibrary@hotmail.com High School Library.  Salem Central School East Broadway.  Salem, New York 12865 Page created:  January 1999  Last updated: January 2007