Nowadays, information is not far away from the ones looking for it. Advancements in internet technology have made the world a global village. People can access any web page by sitting in any corner of the world. The only problem is how to perform website evaluation assignment. In simple words, finding knowledge is easy, but finding quality knowledge has become challenging. It requires the evaluators to check the websites based on some criteria. If you are serious about finding quality content, then you must follow some evaluation criteria. But what exactly the checklist or criteria is? Today’s article is all about answering this question.
5 Checklists
A website’s content is what makes it known to the general public. The good is the content; the more is the website’s rating. Still, many websites upload content that they are not authorised to do. Thus, the readers must be able to evaluate the website based on some website evaluation assignment criteria. Below are the five evaluation criteria.
- Accuracy
- Authority
- Relevance
- Purpose
- Currency
Now the brief description of each evaluation criteria is given below;
Accuracy
Because of the hodge-podge of the information on the internet, it is very important to know about the accuracy of the content. Accuracy allows you to measure the factual information present on the website. It tells you that the information listed here is also listed on another credible source. The sources of the information must also be there so that you can go directly to the origin of the content. It means that there must be a list of all the references used in the content that can verify its originality
While performing website evaluation assignment, checking for spelling and grammatical mistakes also come under accuracy. You can hire assignment writing services UK in case of any problem in developing the grammar accuracy. Mostly, the website content is free from grammatical errors, and the criteria of accuracy confirm it. If the website does not meet the standards of accuracy, the content is not authentic. Thus, you must check for the accuracy of the content first.
Authority
Authority comes at second place in website evaluation assignments. This criterion checks for the ownership of the content. The content owner’s ownership and legitimacy are also important to know. The website evaluator looks for the answer to the questions given below;
- Who is responsible for the content on the website?
- Is there any way of verifying the legitimacy and authenticity of the organisation, individual or network?
- Is there any sign of the author’s qualifications on the website?
- Does the URL reveal anything about the publisher? (.com, .gov, .edu etc.)
The answers to these questions confirm the authority of the website. The authorised web content attracts more readers and gets high viewership. Thus, you must apply this check when evaluating the websites.
Relevance
The relevance of the content to the website is also very important. Relevance means that content on the website addresses the topic properly. Sometimes websites deviate from the original topic and get too promotional. Undoubtedly, every website is out there to make some money. But along with making money, the relevance of the content must also be there. To evaluate website content effectively for relevance, you must ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the information present on the web relate to the topic?
- Does it address its intended audience?
- Is the information at the basic, intermediate, or advanced level?
- Does the information serve its purpose in an effective way?
- Would you be comfortable using the information in any of your research?
The answer to these questions is, in fact, the relevance. One must check for it while performing a website evaluation assignment.
Purpose
Everything happens for a purpose. A particular is out there on the internet to serve a purpose. The purpose of the content on the website can be anything like teaching, persuading or guiding. For example, nowadays, government websites have a tab on the information of COVID-19. You can find the information on COVID-19 cases and their preventions on that page. See, the content serves the purpose of spreading awareness among the people about COVID-19. Thus, the point of purpose in website evaluation assignments holds much importance. Below are some of the questions that can assist you in this.
- What is the purpose of the information? To inform? To teach? To persuade?
- Does the author make his clear?
- Is the basis of information a fact, opinion or propaganda?
Currency
It is the last criteria of evaluation of websites. It discusses the timeliness of the information. The currency criterion assists all other points mentioned above. In simple words, the current criterion tells you about the content and update history of the website. Below are some of the questions that may assist you in your evaluation.
- Does the web page have any date of publication of the content?
- Is there any date for the first publication of the information on the internet?
- When was the page last updated?
An answer to these questions surely helps you during website evaluation assignments. There must be an answer to all these questions on the web page.
Example
After a detailed discussion on all the five criteria, let’s look at an example of web evaluation. I will evaluate the website based on the five points mentioned above.
Website name: poynter.org
URL:https://www.poynter.org/educators-students/2017/7-ways-to-avoid-jargon-in-your-writing/
Domain: .org (organisation)
Accuracy: the sources are present on the website. The sources directly relate to the topic. It means that this website passes the accuracy criteria.
Authority: The author’s information is on the website, i.e., Vicki Kreuger. The information about the qualifications and authenticity is also given.
Relevance: The website’s content is also very relevant to the topic. It engages the audience, and writing is of intermediate level.
Purpose: The purpose of the website is to inform the readers about the use of Jargon in different writings.
Currency: The publication date is also on the page, i.e., 14 June 2017.
Conclusion
All in all, by considering the 5 points mentioned above, you can perform a website evaluation assignment in a better way. Every evaluator must employ these points in their evaluation of web pages.
