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History M131 African American History to 1877: Search the Web

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O the Internet nobody knows you're a dog image

©2002 The New Yorker Collection from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.

Evaluating Web Pages

Whenever you are considering using a website as a source, it is very important that you review the contents in detail. An easy way to make a determination is to use Jim Kapoun's Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages:

  1. Accuracy - Can you find an actual author? Is the contact information provided correct? 
  2. Authority - Does the author have any credentials? Have they conducted any research? What makes them an expert? 
  3. Objectivity - Is the information biased? Are they linked to other organizations (especially commercial)? 
  4. Currency - When was the last update to this website? 
  5. Coverage - How in depth is the material? Is it basic, informative information you can get anywhere else?

There are many other resources to evaluate web pages easily accessable through the Web. 

Google Advanced Search

When searching Google, use the "Adanced Search" to limit your search results to a specific domain .edu, .gov. or .org.  To use the "Advanced Search," click on the little gear symbol.