Evaluating Web Resources

Five Criteria
Quoted from an article in CR&L News July/August 1998, p. 523
Accuracy.
If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting him/her, and . . .
Authority.
If your page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (edu., gov., org. or .net) and . . .
Objectivity.
If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information, and . . .
Currency.
If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date, and . . .
Coverage.
If you can view the information properly--not limited to fees, browser technology, or software requirement, then . . .
You may have a higher quality Web page that could be of value to your research!
Six Criteria
Based on the article Best Free Reference Web Sites, Seventh Annual List which appeared in Reference & User Services Quarterly, Vol. 45, #1, Fall 2005, p. 39
Quality, depth and usefulness of content
clear statement of the content, including any intended biases
provides appropriate links to other Web sites
attention to detail; absence of grammatical errors, absence of spelling errors, and so on
Uniqueness of content - - Currency of content
uniqueness of the resource as a whole; creativity
links are kept up-to-date
update frequency is appropriate for the subject matter
Authority of producer
authority and legality clearly stated
if not easily recognizable, an explanation of the history and purpose of the organization
Ease of Use—Customer Service
user-friendly design; easy navigation
good search engine
attractive; graphic design leaves good impression
easy output (downloading or printing)
contacts are responsive; e-mail addresses readily available
Efficiency [note: efficiency is affected by a user's method of Internet access]
graphics load quickly or are not so intensive as to seriously degrade access
any required plug-ins are available for easy download
realiable, speedy server
Appropriate use of the Web as a medium
components are well integrated (audio, video, text, and so on)
useful information is still available, even if the user does not have all the plug-ins and media components
effective use of JavaScript and other technologies

Sites with longer more elaborate evaluation criteria

All of the following websites are kept current, are updated frequently, and are authored by professional librarians or university faculty members

Additional Sources of Interest

Research 101 
Research 101 is an interactive tutorial about conducting research, developing research questions, and understanding how information is produced and distributed.
The Virtual Chase: Teaching Legal Professionals How to do Research:
Evaluating the Quality of Information on the Internet
Publishers Wanted, No Experience Necessary: Information Quality on the Web 
This article is archived and it may take a moment to load. It is a column written in 1997 by Genie Tyburski, a legal librarian. The content continues to be very relevant.
Intentionally Misleading Web Sites 
an article in from techLearning an online resource for K-12 teachers.

Every man should have a built-in automatic crap detector operating inside him.—Ernest Hemingway

The Crap Test : a way to evaluate a source based on the following criteria—Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose/Point of View
See also The Libraries and Transliteracy blog of 16 September 2010
and Howard Feingold's Crap Detection 101