How to evaluate a website:

1. Find out what other links that a website offers: a really easy way to discover if a website is faulty or not is to see what links are available and follow them. Finding out who developed the site and whether they have a clear bias is a great way to see if the information is true.
2. Use alexa.com: know what resources are available to you to help 'weed out' the bad sites. Sites like alexa.com are a quick and easy way to find out if a website it worthy of your academic attention.
3. Examine the URL closely: what can the URL tell us about the site? If the site ends in '.edu, .museum, .gov, or .xx.us' you will have a better chance of finding worthwhile information on them as opposed to '.com' which has no restrictions on it's use. Even '.org' may be dangerous because non-profit organizations can be biased.
4. Check the date of the last published info: Especially if the topic you are searching for is current, the most up to date information is best. If they are talking about the war in Iraq for instance, it is usually better if the information was published in the last few days as opposed to the last month because information is always changing.