
doi: 10.7916/d83205n7
The conventional criteria of website evaluation are widely applied in evaluating online information, which is an important component of information literacy instruction in academic institutions. However, mainly from the users' angle and inherently bibliographic, these criteria tend to be general in nature and fail to differentiate the qualities of websites at similar quality levels. Thus, evaluation criteria from webometric perspectives that utilize measurable data and tangible information are needed for more informed assessment. The purpose of this article is to introduce and apply essential webometric criteria to supplement the conventional criteria to improve information literacy instruction. The article first synthesizes the widely used conventional criteria into Six C's for the sake of simplicity and applicability. Then, important webometric criteria of popularity, profundity, luminosity, and error-checking are introduced. Next, the webometric data collected from leading demography research institutions' websites in the U. S. are analyzed. The article concludes that while conventional criteria continue to be convenient and useful, particularly for novel web users, a basic set of webometric criteria can serve as a supplementary tool to provide additional insights into evaluating online resources.
020, Internet, 330, Library science
020, Internet, 330, Library science
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 0 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
