LibGuides: Criminology: Websites

Evaluating Websites

Anyone can publish on the internet. Always evaluate a website to make sure it is a reliable and authoritative source.

Ask yourself these questions:

Authority

Is the author/producer easy to identify?
Are the author's credentials listed?
Is the author's affiliation easy to determine (e.g. university, government)

Content

Are there errors or discrepancies on the site?
Is the content appropriate for your needs?
Is there sufficient coverage of the topic?

Currency

Can you find the date that the site was created?
Was the site updated recently?
Do the links on the site work?

Objectivity

Is the information factual or opinion?
Is the site trying to sell something that seems too good to be true?
Is the information consistent with other sources you’ve found?
Is the source of the information provided?

More Information

Checklist for Evaluating Web Sites (Word document) (University of Maryland)

British Columbia Law Institute
Provides Law Reform Commission's Published Reports, Consultation Papers, and Study Papers. Includes links to Law Reform Projects.
Canada, Department of Justice, Research and Statistics Division
Courts of British Columbia
Information about the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, and the Provincial Court. Provides search capability for Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Criminal Law - Courts of BC
Department of Justice Canada
Recent justice legislation, news releases, laws and regulations, government initiatives, publications, and links to sites of interest.
Duhaime Criminal Law
The Preparation, Citation and Distribution of Canadian Decisions
Canadian Citation Committee
Understanding Criminal Justice
Provides introductory information to help you better understand how British Columbia's criminal justice system works.

Because anyone can publish anything on the internet, it is very important to determine that the information you have found on a website comes from a reliable and authoritative source. So, how do you evaluate a website?

Ask yourself these questions when you are evaluating a website. Your answers will help you decide if the site appears to be a reliable source of information. In addition, we have provided a number of links to excellent guides for website evaluation.

Authority	Content
Is the author/producer easy to identify? Are the author’s credentials listed? Is the author’s affiliation easy to determine (e.g. university, government)	Are there errors or discrepancies on the site? Is the content appropriate for your needs? Is there sufficient coverage of the topic?
Currency	Objectivity
Can you find the date that the site was created? Was the site updated recently? Do the links on the site work?	Is the information factual or opinion? Is the site trying to sell something that seems too good to be true? Is the information consistent with other sources you’ve found? Is the source of the information provided?

Evaluating Sources