HOW TO

He suggests narrowing down the checklist categories to three basic questions:

Who? Who created this site, and does that lend credibility to or detract from the validity of the information?

When? How current is the site, and does that matter for this particular topic?

Why? What is the reason for this information and the site's format, and how does that affect its value to you?

David Jakes also advocates keeping the number of questions to a minimum. Here is Internet Innovations' three-step process for narrowing a search.

Step 1: Applicability. Students determine if the information at the Web site is relevant and useful for answering their questions. If so, they continue to step 2. If not, they continue searching.

Step 2: Authority. Students then determine if the information at the Web site originates from a readily recognizable expert, organization, or qualified person or group. If yes, they use the Web site to answer their questions. If not, they return to searching.

Step 3: Reliability. The final step in the information evaluation process requires students to cross-reference Web sites. Each student or team is assigned a site to use for answering a set of questions. They then compare their answers with those obtained from other sources in order to assess the reliability of the information.