There are billions of pages of information on the Web, placed there by people and organizations with many different goals and agendas.  Books, journals, newspapers, and other print sources have editors to oversee the quality of their content, but much of the information published on the Web has not been formally reviewed.  Archives, manuscript collections, historical societies and museums are making more and more primary source material available online, either as scanned images, transcripts, photographs, sound files, or other formats.  In order to make the best use of primary source material on the Web, it is important to evaluate sources carefully.  The following criteria can help:

Authority

• What is the origin of the document or artifact?  Who created it?
• Where is the original located?  Does the repository provide information about the item’s “provenance,” or history?  (Reputable institutions always do this.)
• What type of Web site has posted it (.com, .edu, .gov, .org, etc.)?
• What do others say about the site?  Has it been reviewed? (Some sites to check for reviews are The Internet Scout Report, http://scout.wisc.edu/, and The Public History Resource Center, http://www.publichistory.org/).
• Do other sites link to it? (Google has a feature that allows you to check this.  Go to http://www.google.com/help/features.html#link and follow the instructions under “Who Links to You?”

Accuracy

• What is the format of the document?  Is it a scan of the original?  A transcription?  An image? 
• If it’s a transcription, how was it transcribed?  Is the original available for comparison?  Optical character recognition (OCR)scans are done by machine and frequently contain errors, as do transcripts done by voice recognition software (VRS).
• Does the document make sense in light of other available information? 
• Are there references and/or links to related collections or descriptive information?

Accessibility

• Is the content clearly explained?  Are there guides or “finding aids” that provide help with navigation?
• Is special software required to view the contents of the site?  Is that software freely available or must it be purchased?
• Is there a fee for viewing documents or other items? 

Purpose

• Who is responsible for the Web site?  Is there contact information?
• What is the mission of the sponsoring institution?  Why does it exist?
• Is there an “about” link to information about the institution?  Does that information indicate a bias or an agenda?
• Is the content of the site balanced?  Are documents omitted that you would expect to be included?  Are materials used in a way that is meant to present a particular point of view?

If you have any questions or need help finding or evaluating information, come and see us at Mantor Library!

Revised: 1/25/08 jhb