Below a number of quality criteria are summarized by key concepts for content-related assessment of website quality.
RELIABILITY: Is the content of the source well-documented and correct?
- Is the information objective and based on solid research?
- Does it contain references or a substantial reference list?
- Does the source come in another format as well that is considered to be qualitative and reliable?
- If there is a certain bias, is it openly acknowledged and is it restricted to an acceptable level?
- Was noticeable care taken to compile the information?
Primarily pay attention to:
- bibliographical references and reference lists;
- justification of the origin of the information;
- statement on the website's objective;
- writing errors, spelling errors and grammatical errors;
- extensions: sites by educational institutions (US: .edu / UK: .ac.uk), non-profit organizations (.org) and governments (US: .gov) are generally more reliable than commercial sites (.com); personal pages often have tildes (~) in their addresses.
TOPICALITY: Is the content of the source up-to-date?
- Are the content and information well-maintained?
- Is newly available information added quickly?
Primarily pay attention to:
- the date the information is created or published ('creation date' or 'publication date');
- the date the information was last renewed ('last updated date');
- a notification on the update or publication frequency;
- the availability of archived information.
STATUS: How authoritative is the source?
- Who offers the information on the internet?
- Is the source recognized as being authentic and authoritative?
- What is the status of the author and/or publisher?
Primarily pay attention to:
- further information on author and publisher (possibly through links like about us, contact our company, etcetera);
- further justification of the origin of the sources of information where certain presented facts and data were retrieved.
Tip:
To verify the importance or authority of the website, you could check how many times external websites reference the corresponding source website, through the Google link-filter. When entering for example link:UHasselt.be, a list of all websites referencing the UHasselt website appears.
COMPLETENESS: What is the scope and the depth of the information?
- Is the subject elaborated sufficiently in depth?
- Are the various aspects of the subject covered sufficiently?
- Are there any identifiable gaps of information?
Primarily pay attention to:
- a table of contents
- an index
- a site map
- bibliographical references and reference lists