D#4, HW#6 - Evaluating Web Sites: 1 of 2

Evaluating Web Sites: (Part 1 of 2)

Article: Austria Lowers Voting Age
Located: http://www.youthrights.org/ (NYRA)
On March 14th, the Austrian government decided to allow sixteen and seventeen year olds to vote in national elections. The effort to lower the voting age had the support of both the liberal and conservative parties in Austria. This is tremendously important, as the young people of Austria will prove to the world that lowering the voting age is a good idea. It will invigorate their democracy, and hopefully the United States will follow their example. In a letter to NYRA, Austrian ambassador Eva Nowotny wrote “We demand so much responsibility from the younger generation and load so many burdens on their shoulders that we feel it was the right thing to do.”

This article located on a website is reliable for the following reasons:

Accuracy determining factors were that the text was free of errors in sentence structure, usage, and grammar. The site provided links to creditable newspaper articles and other informational websites. The website is operated as an organization with a “Contact Us” link as well as reference to forum areas.

Credibility was established by verifying through numerous newspaper sources, including a NYC Councilwoman Gale Brewer’s comments, that NYRA is a valid youth organization that is primarily operated by youths. They have members in all 50 states of America. They have been incorporated since 1998, and officially chartered as a 501c3 company in 2004. The homepage of the organization’s website lists a logo in the upper left hand.

Objectivity is confirmed by the content being directly associated to youth’s and their viewpoints with no noticeable advertisements throughout the site.

Currency was determined by clicking on several links from various webpages including the homepage that lead to other sites confirming functionality. The homepage includes recent news articles that are verifiable. The site clearly shows a last revision date one inch from the bottom of the homepage.

Coverage on the homepage addresses the numerous issues they advocate for youths. Each topic on the site provides in-depth coverage. The documentation and references listed support the content of the site. The site specifically targets youths and adults interested in youth causes. This website is appropriate for my research needs.