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Website Criteria

All websites accessed by the netTrekker search engine have been evaluated by educator/evaluators for academic integrity and age appropriateness.

• Authority/credibility
  Authority or credibility refers to the source of the site and whether that source has integrity, objectivity, and academic rigor. netTrekker educators/evaluators use the following basic guidelines for judging site authority (found at the University of Rochester Library site):

  1. Can you identify the creator/author of the site? Is that person an authority on the subject of the site?
  2. Who sponsors/publishes the site? Is the sponsor likely to be reliable? (university, government agency, other credible source)
  3. Is the site unbiased, or if biased, is the bias acknowledged?
  4. Is the site designed to inform, rather than to entertain or advertise?
  5. Is there a bibliography or other documentation for material in the site?
  6. Has the site been updated, if necessary, to keep up with current events?
  7. Is the site well organized and edited? Are language usage and navigation clear?

• Comprehensiveness
  Comprehensiveness refers to the breadth and depth of information coverage of information presented in the site.

• Style
  Style refers to the writing style and the "understandability" of the information presented.

• Design
  Design refers to the design and visual appeal of the site. This includes whether text color and background color are compatible, as well as general site appearance.

• Navigation
  Navigation refers to the ease of use for student users moving about the site.

• Relative Value
  Value refers to how this site compares to other resources available.

• Controversial Information
  Controversy is at the heart of all academic study and is a necessary element in netTrekker. Sites that deal with controversial subjects, or which present controversial points of view are included, but their evaluations are marked with to notify users before they access the site itself.

• Minimal Pop-Up Ads and Other Forms of Advertising
  Pop-up ads, or spawning browser windows, are both annoying and distracting. Although they are an economic reality for many good websites, netTrekker makes every attempt to include only those sources that either have no ads or, at the very least, have control over inappropriate or obnoxious ads. For more information about netTrekker's policy on pop-up ads, as well as information on how to block them, please click here.

Additional website criteria exists for:

• Special Criteria for Middle School netTrekker (Grades 6-8)
• Special Criteria for Elementary School netTrekker (Grades K-5)

"Evaluating and Citing Web Sites." University of Rochester Libraries. University of Rochester. 10 November 2001. http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?PAGE=439. 22 July 2002.