Evaluating Resources : RADAR

Research > Evaluating Resources : RADAR

Evaluating Resources: RADAR

Use this guide to evaluate the websites you are using for your research project.

RELEVANCE
AUTHORITY
DATE
ACCURACY
REASON

Relevance:

Why is this important?
The ultimate goal in evaluating websites for your research project is to ensure the information you are using is relevant for your project. When examining a website, make sure you are constantly checking whether it supports your research.

What to look for on the website:

Links to other reliable websites
Information that supports your research

Questions to consider:

Does the information add to or support your research
Does the site provide additional links that are also useful
Does the page provide more or less information than you need?
Should I use this site as part of my research?

Authority:

Why is this important?
When a person is willing to put their name on the website, it shows that they are willing to back up the information they have provided. When you aren't sure if you can trust the author of a website, it is a good idea to Google the author's name to find out more information about them.

A website domain is used to define the type of website that it is representing. The domain can be used to identify if the website was created for educational purposes, for government, not-for-profit organisations or commercial businesses.

Look at the table below for an explanation of the most common domains on the internet.

Note: Some websites don't have an individual author, but instead are created by an organisation. Commercial websites are created by businesses, but are not always trying to sell you something, or persuading you of a particular opinion.

What to look for on the website:

About Us page
Article "written by" statement
"Cite this article" information
The author's identity, educational background and professional credentials.
Look at the ending of the website to determine what type of domain the website is

Questions to consider:

Is there an author listed? This can be an individual or an organisation.
Does the author cite sources or include a bibliography?
Can you find the author’s credentials or experience listed on the website? Are the author’s credentials trustworthy?
Can you contact the author?
Do you know who sponsored the page? Are they trustworthy?
Is the URL and domain reliable?
What is the website's primary purpose?

Website Domain Types:

Below is a range of domain types on the internet, and the specific audiences they are created for.

Domain	Type	Site Type
.com	Commercial	Websites created for commercial businesses
.net	Network-related	Commercial sites that deal in networking or the internet itself
.org	Organisations	Non-profit organisations
.gov	Government websites	Websites created by local, state or national governments
.edu	Education websites	Websites created by primary schools, secondary schools, universities and the education department.
Country codes e.g. .au .ca .uk .fr	Country-specific websites	Websites created in specific countries for a particular audience

Date:

Why is this important?
The date a website has been updated can play a role in whether the information it presents is reliable. Depending on the type of research you are undertaking, the timeliness of the information can be more important. For example, if you are looking for information about recent discoveries in the treatment of lung cancer you will be wanting to find up-to-date and current research. It is also important to check the links work and citations are correct to make sure the author is keeping the information as up-to-date as possible.

What to look for on the website:

Look for the date the article was written
Look under the citation information if the article is current
If the information isn't referenced in a citation, look at the bottom of the website for a copyright date or date last updated.

Questions to consider:

Was the information recently published?
Has it been updated or revised?
Do the links on the website work?

Accuracy:

Why is this important?
When you are using websites in your research, it is important to determine if the information you are using is correct. Due to the size of the internet, there are some websites that are out of date or created with the intention to mislead or provide inaccurate information. If the information doesn't seem reliable, then there's a good chance it isn't.

See our page on hoax websites and fake news for more information.

What to look for on the website:

A bibliography, or list of references
A reliable author
Spelling mistakes or grammatical errors

Questions to consider:

Is the information accurate?
Does it look professional?
Does the site provide references for the information provided?
Does the site provide information that contradicts other sources?
Does the site include an explanation of its research methods?
Are there spelling mistakes on the website?

Reason:

Why is this important?
Knowing the purpose behind the website's creation can help to determine if the information it provides is reliable or not.
Some websites are created with the purpose to:

Sell a product or service
Persuade the reader to agree with them
Inform or teach the reader about a topic
Explain and enlighten the reader about a topic

Not all information on the internet is accurate, and occasionally websites are created with the purpose to deliberately mislead the reader, or encourage the reader to believe a particular point-of-view.

What to look for on the website:

How much advertising is on the website
Does it look up-to date

Questions to consider:

Does the site present information in an objective manner?
Are all sides of an issue represented, or is this site biased?
Is the level of the website appropriate to your needs?
Does the content cover several topics minimally or one topic in detail?
Does the website look like it is primarily for advertising or educating?

Click HERE to download the Website Evaluation Checklist.