Informational
Informational
An "informational" web site's primary purpose is to present factual information. Most informational sites are sponsored by professional organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, museums, or libraries. Many of these sites present statistical data or other factual information such as reports, research, or specialized information about a topic.
Examples . . .
Science - Global Warming: Goddard Institute for Space Studies, The National Center for Public Policy Research
Social Science - Global Security: The Rand Corporation, The Henry L. Stimson Center
Humanities - Holocaust: Anti-Deformation League, Institute for Historical Review
The more you answer "yes," the greater the likelihood that the information is of high quality.
AUTHORITY- Is it clear who is responsible for the information on the site?
- Is there a link to a page describing the organization and its mission?
- Is there a way of independently verifying the legitimacy of the page's sponsor?
- Is contact information, including mailing address and phone number readily available?
- Is the copyright holder of the information easily identified?
- Is the page located on the organization's web site?
- Is the copyright holder an established publisher or organization?
- Are individual authors of the pages listed?
- Are the author's qualifications for writing on this topic clearly stated?
- Is the information well written?
- Is the information from a subscription database?
- Are the sources for any factual information clearly referenced?
- Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, and other typographical errors?
- Is the information presented part of the organization's expertise?
- Is it clear who has the responsibility for the accuracy of the information?
- Are links provided to other sites present and are they relevant for the topic?
- Are links evaluated or summarized?
- If charts and/or graphs containing statistical data are presented, are they clearly labeled and sources referenced?
- Does the page have a published date?
- Is the site well maintained and dates provided for revisions?
- Are the goals of the site clearly identified?
- Is the information provided as a public service?
- If an organization has a stake in the topic, is their interest in the topic clearly stated?
- Is the information free of advertising?
- If advertising is present, is it clearly differentiated from the informational content?
- Is factual information kept separate from interpretation?
- Are alternative points of view provided?
- Are opinions clearly identified?
- Is the text free of emotion and bias?
- Are there dates on the page to indicate:
- When the page was written?
- When the page was first placed on the Web?
- When the page was last revised?
- Are there other indications that the material is kept current?
- If statistical material is presented, is it clearly stated when the data was gathered?
- Is the data provided the most current information on the topic?
- Are the links provided current and do they reference the most recent information?
- Are links to additional information active?
- Is the web site complete and not under construction?
- Does the information address all the relevant issues of the topic?
- Is the information correctly cited?
- Is there a clear indication of whether the entire work is available on the Web or only parts of it?
- If significant topics are left out, are reasons for their absence presented?
Putting it all together . . .
Authority. If your page lists the organization and author and provides a mailing address and phone number to contact them, and . . .
Accuracy. If the page lists the organization's and author's credentials and the page is properly referenced, and . . .
Objectivity. If the page provides accurate information and provides an objective assessment of the information, and . . .
Currency. If the page provides current information that is updated regularly, and . . .
Coverage. If the page is complete with few information gaps, and is well referenced, then . . .
You may have a high quality informational web page.
