In Aliso Viejo, CA the city council proposed a law to deal with the "dangers" of dihydrogen monoxide because of this web site. "It's embarrassing.  We had a paralegal who did bad research," said the City Manager. What is it? We usually call it water!

The responsibility of evaluating a web site falls on you, so be sure to examine web sites beyond how "well designed" it is.

Accuracy: It is important to find the source of the information provided. Can you independently verify the facts or content? Examine the references.
 
Authority: Who wrote or created the content? What qualifications do they have? Can you verify it? Is there contact information?

Currency: When was the web site created? Last updated? Is the content current?

Point of View and Objectivity: Does the content represent a single point of view? Whose perspective is given? Is any opposing information presented? Is there blatant advertising or are they selling a product or service?

Reliability: Is the web site stable? Studies have shown that the half-life of a Web page is less than two years¹

"50% of the web sites you cite your freshman year at CSULB will be gone by the time you are a junior! That's why it's a good idea to print the first page of a web site you are going to use --you never know when it may disappear."