Allina Library Services asks the following questions when judging quality in a web site.

1. Content

• What is the basic purpose of the site ?
• Is the intent primarily to educate, advertise, advocate, etc.?
• Does the site provide general coverage on a topic or detailed coverage?
• Are there any glaring inaccuracies in the information on the site?
• Does the information appear to be credible and objective?
• Can the source of the information be verified? Is it clearly attributed to someone or some group?
• Who is the intended audience?
• What is the level of presentation?
• Are the links to other sites appropriate and carefully chosen?

• Who is the producer, developer, and/or creator of the site?
• Who is the sponsor (i.e., drug company, advocacy group, etc.)? This is often NOT the same as the creator of the web site.
• What can you determine about the expertise and/or authority of the source of the information?
• Does the information appear to have a bias or slant to its orientation?
• Is there clear contact information on the author(s) of the information, as well as the web developer? Is there a feedback button?

• What is the date of the production of the web site? When was it last modified?
• Does the information itself on the web site appear to be current? Are dates indicated?
• Does the site appear to be maintained regularly?

• Is there a logical organization to the site?
• Can it be easily navigated?
• Is there a search capability at a top level?
• Is the site interactive?
• Are icons representational of their functions?
• Is the graphic design and layout appropriate and attractive for the content?
• Is the load time in your browser reasonable?

• Is the site routinely available?
• Does the web address change frequently?