 Website
Criteria
All websites accessed by the netTrekker d.i. 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 d.i. educators/evaluators use the
following basic guidelines for judging site authority (found
at the University of Rochester Library site):
- Can you identify the creator/author of the site? Is
that person an authority on the subject of the site?
- Who sponsors/publishes the site? Is the sponsor likely
to be reliable? (university, government agency, other
credible source)
- Is the site unbiased, or if biased, is the bias acknowledged?
- Is the site designed to inform, rather than to entertain
or advertise?
- Is there a bibliography or other documentation for material
in the site?
- Has the site been updated, if necessary, to keep up
with current events?
- Is the site well organized and edited? Are language
usage and navigation clear?
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Comprehensiveness
Comprehensiveness refers to the breadth and depth of information coverage
of information presented in the site.
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Style
Style refers to the writing style and the "understandability"
of the information presented.
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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.
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Navigation
Navigation refers to the ease of use for student users moving about the
site.
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Relative Value
Value refers to how this site compares to other resources available.
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Controversial Information
Controversy is at the heart of all academic study and is a necessary element
in netTrekker d.i. 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.
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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 d.i.
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 d.i.'s policy on pop-up
ads, as well as information on how to block them, please click
here.
Additional website criteria exists for:
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