Critical Evaluation Survey: Secondary School Level

What Web browser are you using?

________________________________________________

URL of Web page you are evaluating:

http://_______________________________________________________________

Name of the Web page you are evaluating: __________________________________

Technical and Visual Aspects of the Web Page

Does the page take a long time to load? YES / NO

Do the pictures add to the page? YES / NO / NOT APPLICABLE

Is the spelling correct on the page? YES / NO

Are there headings and subheadings on the page? YES / NO

If so, are they helpful? YES / NO

Is the page signed by the author? YES / NO

Is the author's e-mail address included? YES / NO

Is there a date of last update? YES / NO

If so, is the date current? YES / NO

Is the format standard and readable with your browser? YES / NO

Is there an image map (large clickable graphic w/ hyperlinks) on the page? YES / NO

Is there a table on the page? (You may have to look at the source code to tell.) YES / NO

If so, is the table readable with your browser? YES / NO

If you have graphics turned off, is there a text alternate to the images? YES / NO

On supporting pages, is there a link back to the home page? YES / NO

Are the links clearly visible and explanatory? YES / NO

Is there a picture or a sound included?

If so, can you be sure that a picture or sound has not been edited? YES / NO

If you are not sure, should you accept the information as valid for your purpose? YES / NO

Content

Is the title of the page indicative of the content? YES / NO

Is the purpose of the page indicated on the home page? YES / NO

When was the document created? ____________________________

Is the information useful for your purpose? YES / NO

Would it have been easier to get the information somewhere else? YES / NO

Would information somewhere else have been different? YES / NO

If so, why? ____________________________________________

Did the information lead you to other sources that were useful? YES / NO

Is a bibliography of print sources included? YES / NO

Is the information current? YES / NO

Does up-to-date information matter for your purpose? YES / NO

Does the information appear biased? YES / NO

Does the information contradict something you found somewhere else? YES / NO

Do most of the pictures supplement the content of the page? YES / NO / NOT APPLICABLE

Authority

Who created the page? ___________________________________________

What organization is the person affiliated with? _________________________

Has the site been reviewed by an online reviewing agency? YES / NO

Does the domain (i.e. edu, com, gov) of the page influence your evaluation of the site? YES / NO

Are you positive that the information is true? YES / NO

What can you do to prove that it is true? _________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Are you satisfied that the information is useful for your purpose? YES / NO

If not, what can you do next?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Can you get a printed version of the information? YES / NO

Narrative Evaluation

Looking at all of the data you have collected above while evaluating the site, explain why or why

not this site is (or is not) valid for your purpose. Include the aspects of technical content,

authenticity, authority, bias, and subject content.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

CRITICAL EVALUATION OF A WEB SITE: SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL
©1996 Kathleen Schrock (kschrock@capecod.net)
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators -- http://discoveryschool.com/schrockguide/