What should I try to find out about an author of a web page?
The qualifications a good web page author are the same as a good book or journal author. Keep these questions in mind as you investigate:
- Who is the author of the web page?
- How much experience does the author have in this area?
- What is the author's occupation?
- What is the author's educational background?
- What is the author's reputation among others in the field?
Example 2. Who is the author of the following web page? What can you find out about the author by looking at the pages and searching the website?
Nancy Kranich is the author of the paragraph (or is it just part of the paragraph) on the ALA web page. However, the byline says she prepared the text. Is that the same as authored? Who wrote the book A Framework for Planning for Future Activities? Is it a book? Is it maybe a pamphlet written by someone else for the American Library Association? This page tells us nothing about Nancy except that she might have written a book or pamphlet called A Framework for Planning for Future Activities that deals with library issues and advocacy.
Detective Work: Searching within a Site
Some websites provide a site-search engine. Additionally, some search engines have a feature that lets you to search within a site. Either way, you can use keywords like the author's name to quickly find information about what an individual author has contributed to a web site. To find out more about Nancy Kranich and her qualifications you'll have to dig a little deeper. See how we did it by viewing the Video Tutorial!
