Untangling the Web: A Rubric for Evaluating Web Sites

Directions: Print out this form and answer the questions below. Use your answers to decide whether or not you want to recommend this site as a link on Windy Hill Middle School's web site.

Name: ___________________________ Date: __________________
Teacher: _________________________ Period: _________
What is the URL of the page you are evaluating? ___________________________________________________________________________________
What is the title of the site? (hint: look at the blue bar at the top of your screen.) ___________________________________________________________________________________
1. Author (Who created and updates this site?)
YES
NO
Not sure...
Is the name of the person who created/updated the site clearly stated?      
Did the author tell where the information came from? (ex. is there a source or works cited list?)      
Does the web site's author or manager provide a way for users to make comments or ask questions? (Ex. an email address)      
Does the author tell you about him or herself?      
2. Purpose (Why is the site there?)
YES
NO
Not Sure...
Is there a paragraph on the page telling you what it is about? (ex. an introduction)      
Would the information on the page be useful for a project?      
3. Design (What is on the page?)
YES
No
Not sure...
Do all of the links on the site work?      
If you click somewhere else on the site, can you get back to the home page?      
Is the information on the site easy to find?      
Is it easy to get around the site?      
Does the page load quickly onto the screen?      
Is the information easy to read?      
4. Content (Information)
YES
NO
Not Sure...
Does the title of the page match the content on the page?      
Does the author use strong opinion words? (ex. best, worst, should, ultimate....)      
Would the advertisements on this page distract users?      
Is there enough information to make visiting this site worthwhile?      
Are all of the words spelled correctly?      
Are the pictures on the page helpful and appropriate to the site's content?