Library Home: Evaluating Sources: Who is responsible?

FOLLOW THE MONEY

* Is there information about who pays for the content of the web pages to be posted and why?
* What is the bias or purpose or "reason for existence" of that web page posting?

Look for "About Us" and "Contacts Us"

About Us and Contact Us are essential parts of a good website. These elements may be located at the top of the page, or at the bottom in the signature area.

AVOID web pages with no contact information, or that have not been updated recently.

Is Anybody Home?

RESPONSIBILITY & CURRENCY
Who takes responsibility for accuracy of information presented? Is there contact information in the signature or a “Contact Us” section somewhere on the page?

Bad example:
If you can not find any contact information, or if the contact information is outdated or leads to a dead link, the website may be abandoned.

Good example: (See our signature)

"Who is" behind that URL?

IDomain Tools Whois look up
ICANN WHOIS Domain Search
Root Zone Database
The Root Zone Database represents the delegation details of top-level domains, including gTLDs such as .com, and country-code TLDs such as .uk.

YouTube: The Importance of Investigating the Author

Source: UTSALibraries