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...with an Internet search.
- Explore the Internet last and be discerning about what you use; information may not be reliable. See below for more information on evaluating web sites.
- This is your last chance to use the vocabulary terms you collected from encyclopedias.
- Internet sources require a special citation format. See step five for guidance with citing your sources.
Evaluating Web Sites: Things to Consider
- Is the site produced by a reputable college, university, or other information-providing institution? It is if the URL contains one of the following "domain" codes:
- ac (British academic institution)
- edu (US educational institution)
- gov (governmental body)
- org (non-profit organization)
- Is the site produced by an individual? These sites require special scrutiny. Look for answers to the following questions before using information from these sources.
- Are you familiar with the author as a recognized authority in the subject area of the information contained on the page?
- If not, does the site contain biographical information and/or credentials about the individual?
- Do those credentials tie the individual to reputable institutions?
- Sometimes it is difficult to discern who produces a site because the site is several levels into a larger site. In these situations, try the following:
- Locate a "Home" link that will take you to the web site's main page.
- If you can't find a "Home" link, truncate the URL back to each single forward slash. For example, http://www.ecu.edu/lib/music.cfm would be truncated to http://www.ecu.edu/lib to see that the Music Library site is part of the Joyner Library site.
- How current is the information contained on this site?
- Check the bottom of the opening page of the site for an indication of when the site was last updated. Many now contain such a date, or at least a copyright indication that includes a year. If that year is not the current one, be cautious about using the information.
- Some sites also include dates for other reasons (e.g., a performance schedule on a musician's web site). Such dates can also be good indicators of currency.
