The web is just like any other source of information; it is not better than print resources, but its not any worse either. Just like any other resource, you must assess the usefulness of each web site and decide whether it is appropriate to use based on your information need.

Five Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Who posted this information?

Question whether the author or provider has any authority regarding the topic. Try Googling the person to see if you can find more information on them, or see where else the have published information.

2. When was this page last update?

A webpage with outdated information is just as bad as one that contains false information.

3. Is this information accurate?

Where the author got his/her information? Is it similar to what you’ve found in other resources? Does the author provide a list of references?

4. Does the author harbor any bias towards the topic?

Typically you need to assume that the author/provider of information has a bias. Ask yourself whether the author seems too positive or too negative, or whether they give equal time to each point of view. Can you tell by the mission/ about statment just what purpose the author/provider has for posting the information.

5. What is the site’s domain?

The rules on domains are not fool proof, so you should evaluate the entire website. Just because a site is a .com or .net doesn’t mean that it can’t have good information, and just because a site is a .edu, .gov., or a .org doesn’t mean that it should be blindly accepted. However, they are a good indicator of the type of information you might expect.

The not so good:

.com – these are traditionally commercial sites where someone is trying to sell goods or is providing information on their company (e.g. amazon.com)

.net – typically these are personal web pages, where an individual is responsible for      the content. Their validity depends on the author.

The better ones:

.edu – these sites are hosted by an educational institution (like a college) and its      affiliates.          

.gov – designates government sites and information collected by or concerning the      government.

.org – usually information collected by or concerning a non-profit organization.      However most people can now create a .org.

Tools from Google

Advanced Search allows you to narrow your results using a certain domain, among other limiters.

Google Scholar is a search engine that only searches materials identified as scholarly literature. Please check the help features for more information.

 Yahoo! Tools

Advanced Web Search options allow you to narrow down your results by a specific domain, along with a list of other limiters to make your search more effective.

Yahoo! Directory categorizes websites by subject, leading to more effective searching.

Web Guides

Juniata College has compiled a list of sites that index reliable and scholarly websites in various subject areas. Click on the link to explore these sites, meant to make web surfing less frustrating http://www.juniata.edu/services/library/linksinternetguides.html.

Also check out the library’s delicious page, listing reliable and useful websites covering a number of topics: http://www.delicious.com/clblibrarian