Evaluation Criteria
Diversity & Ethnic Studies

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Useful and focused?
Each resource linked to this website has been evaluated according to the following general guidelines:

Authority of the resource
Who developed the resource, and why? Is the content accurate? objective or subjective? commercial?

Scope of resource
Does the site pertain to some aspect of diversity and ethnic studies? What kind of breadth does it provide? Is it research-oriented? Popular? Original? Does it duplicate information easily available at another site?

Presentation of information
How is the site organized? Is it easy to find information on it? Is it one endless, unordered list? Does it include slow-loading, unneccessary image files? Does its design facilitate or impede use? Is its design browser-specific?

Community needs
Who might use that website? Is it likely to have repeat users? Does it include unique information or resources not easily available elsewhere? Would it fill an information need not already met?

Maintenance
Is there any indication when pages were last updated? Are links or other content stale or dated? Who maintains the site? Who is the contact person?

These are the general guidelines I follow, and some of the points I ask all my students and patrons to consider when they wander the web.

Back to Diversity & Ethnic Studies

Comments: savega@iastate.edu
Iowa State University
URL: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~savega/useful.htm
Last updated: 23-Feb-2001 4:29 PM
Created: 27 April 1996
Copyright © 1996-