Look at who wrote the piece.

• Can you find a name?
• Do you know anything about the person?
• Is the author an expert in the subject?
• Also consider the reputation of the publisher or sponsoring institution.

• Who is the author?
• What expertise does he or she have on this topic?
• Who sponsors the site?
• Check the domain name to see if it is a university, business, organization, or an individual.

Look at the presence of bias in the piece.

• Can you tell why the piece was written?
• Does the author have an agenda or want to sell you something?
• Have both sides of the story been presented equally?

• What is the stated purpose of the site?
• Check the "About..." link if there is one.
• What position or opinion is presented and does it seem biased?
• What kind of sites does this one link to?

Look at the date when the piece was published or posted to the Internet.

• Is it recent enough for your topic?

• When was the page created?
• Do you need more current information?
• Do links on the site still connect to their destination?

Look at the content of the article.

• Does it seem logical considering what else you know about your topic?
• Are there obvious spelling or typographical errors?
• Can you verify the facts in other sources?
• Have the author’s sources been provided so that you can verify them?

• Does the information presented seem accurate?
• Are the facts verifiable?

Look at the content of the article.

• Has it been written at a level of depth appropriate for your topic and for a college-level course?
• Has the Canadian perspective been provided when appropriate (e.g., legal information or social policy)?

• Would you quote information from this site in a college research paper?