WEB FEET
Criteria for Site Selection

Source

• The source of information is identified.
• Primary sources are used when possible.
• The contact information for the source or site administrator is displayed.
• The expertise and reputation of the source are considered. The source is preferably a qualified professional at a peer-reviewed site or a government (.gov), educational institution (.edu), or respected organization (.org).
• The expertise and reputation of the site's host are considered. The host is preferably a government (.gov), educational institution (.edu), or respected organization (.org).

Information

• The information is not easily available at other sources.
• Reviewers (subject-area experts and researchers) make every effort to ensure that the information is free of errors.
• The information and images are objective; balanced; and not politically, commercially, religiously, or otherwise biased.
• The information is appropriate for all ages and has sufficient scope to cover the topic for the intended audience.
• The information is readable and free of spelling and grammatical errors.
• Sponsorship is clearly indicated, and advertising is minimal. When a site contains advertising, it should be neither intrusive nor presented in a way that may bias the user's understanding of the information.
• The necessary disclaimers and privacy statements are posted.

Timeliness

• Site is updated frequently, typically indicated by a recent "last updated" date.
• Pages list the date of the most recent update or the dating of the information is made clear in an accessible area of the site.

Links

• Links work, and they are relevant and appropriate.
• At gateways sites, a large number of links are checked for inappropriate content (sexual references, profanity, violence, and other mature themes).

Chat Rooms and Message Boards

• Chat rooms and message boards are reviewed for inappropriate exchanges or postings (sexual references, profanity, violence, and other mature themes).

Accessibility and Navigation

• The site loads in a reasonably short time (less than 10 seconds).
• The site is easy to access and navigate.
• Navigation includes clear headings and intuitive icons, menus, and directional symbols that foster independent use.
• Standard multimedia formats such as HTML are used.
• Most information is accessible without special plug-ins such as Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Logical options are available for printing and downloading all or selected text or graphics.

Design

• The site follows good graphic design principles.
• Information for specific audiences, such as consumer information within a professional or commercial site, is easy to locate.
• The site has a text size that is easy to read for the intended audience.
• Product advertising is not intrusive and is clearly differentiated from original content on the site.

This list summarizes the criteria against which all sites are measured. The considerable majority of sites in WEB FEET meet these criteria. In cases in which exceptions are made, the reasons for the exceptions are noted in the annotations.