Inktomi Corporation announced in January, 2000 that they completed a new study which verifies the existence of more than one billion indexed pages. With this much information on available at the click of a mouse, how can we be confident that the information we are compiling is accurate and comes from a reliable source?

One way is to evaluate these resources is to determine accuracy. Who put this page or site up on the web? Do they have the available credentials to write about this particular subject? Is the information on the page current? The question that remains is: How do we undertake such an evaluation? First let's take a look at several reputable web sites which will help you through this process.

WWW CyberGuides: http://www.cyberbee.com/guides.html

This site contains guides with rating charts for content analysis and also web site design.

Evaluating Scholarly/Information Sites on the Web from Lehigh University: http://www.lehigh.edu/~inref/guides/evaluating.web.html

A list of evaluation questions which can serve as a focal point to begin an evaluation.

Kathy Schrock's Guides for Educators: http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html

In addition to elementary, middle and high school appropriate evaluation forms, this site has a lengthy list of available resources and references.

Tips on Evaluating Web Resources from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/gmr/publish/eval.html

By using these links as a guide, the evaluation of web resources should be an easy task to undertake.

Now that you have evaluated all of your web resources, how do you cite them in your reference list? Take a look at the links below to determine how to use both APA and MLA format for web or electronic resources. Examples include how to cite an online journal article and how to quote dialog which takes place through e-mail correspondence.

On-line Resources for Documenting Electronic Sources: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_docelectric.html

This site comes from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University and has resources and references for both MLA and APA format.

MLA format for Documenting Electronic Resources: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html#Electronic

This site is also from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University.