Criteria

3

2

1

Rating

Author Identification.

The author's name is easy to find and it appears as though s/he would be an authority on the subject.

The author’s name can be found, but s/he may or may not be an authority on the subject.

The author is unknown.

Sponsoring organization.

A well-known respectable organization is clearly identified as a sponsor of the site.

A sponsoring organization can be identified, but its reputation in relation to the topic is questionable.

No sponsoring organization can be identified.

Last updated

Current Event: updated within the last month.

Historical Topic: updated within the last year.

Current Event: updated one to six months ago.

Historical Topic: updated one to two years ago.

No date is shown or information is outdated:

Current Event: more than six months old.

Historical Topic: more than two years old.

Author contact

The author’s contact is easy to find and is available through a direct link.

The author’s contact information may be difficult to find/is not available through a direct link.

No author contact can be found.

Factuality

The website gives just the facts and seems to be free from opinions or bias.

The website appears to be factual, but the author's opinions are frequently revealed.

Facts are questionable, based mostly on the author's opinions.

Source of information and ethics

The author explains where most information came from and provides direct links to original information.

The author occasionally explains where information came from but does not provide direct links to original information.

The author never explains or identifies the source of information.