Example
Click here to visit website
Question: Who created or published this site? Are they reputable and credible?
DAPPR Score: 1
Explanation: This is an example of an "About Us" that lacks important information. It does not provide any staff names or contact information for the company.There is no history of the organization provided and does not even say if it is a non-profit. There is simply not enough information to say they are reputable and credible.
What You Need to See on Every 'About Us'
Below is a list of what type of information you should see in a reputable website's 'About Us'
Mission Statement
Staff Directory: Names & expertise
Contact Information (Address & phone numbers)
History of Company
Below is an example of an exemplary 'About Us':
.Org (organization) websites should also list if they are a non-profit. Don't assume all .org websites are non-profit organizations. Sometimes for-profit companies will have a .org site. Below is an example of what you should see on a non-profit website (it will be on the 'About Us' or at the very bottom of the website):
Why is important to know who published the source?
If you are evaluating a book or article, you will need to find out who the publisher is. A publisher is a company, organization or university that prepares, prints and sells material. With a book, you can easily find the name of the publisher on the copyright page. With articles, you will need to look at the journal title, which is usually located on the first page of the article. You will then need to find a website for the publisher or journal, so you can read about the company. It is important to make sure that the publisher or journal is reputable. Reputable publishers will have a stringent editing and fact-checking process, making it safer to use for academic purposes.
With websites, however, the evaluating process is a little different. Instead of looking for a publisher, you will have to visit the “About Us” page. The “About Us” should tell who is responsible for the site. There is usually a company or organization that is running or funding the site. The About page is usually where you can find information about them. You should also be able to determine what the company or organization is trying to accomplish. Every website is on the Internet for a reason. It is either trying to sell something, persuade to a particular point of view, promote scholarly research, or simply inform. For academic research, it is best to stick with government and educational sites. These websites are devoted to promoting scholarly research and informing the public. In order to determine what kind of site it is, you first need to look at domain. The domain name will give you some basic information:
Government and higher education sites are fairly straightforward and easy to understand. They will also have a lot of information on their “About Us.” Commercial and organization sites, however, require careful consideration. Newspapers and magazines are usually commercial sites and can be okay to use as long as they are reputable.
The bottom line is that you have to do your homework and VERIFY the website BEFORE you use it.
Helpful Tool on Checking Publisher
Media Bias Fact Check is an awesome resource that works well for news or other organizations. Below is the entry for Evolution News & Science Today. Notice they list the news organization as conspiracy-pseudo science.
