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Free Scholarly Sources: Evaluating Websites

Find good quality resources on the internet!

Domains

.com - commercial or business

.edu - educational institution

.org - organization (often non-profit)

.gov - government organization

Evaluating Websites

After you Google, how do you determine if the information is reliable? Ask yourself the questions below.

  • Who is responsible for the content?
  • Click on the "About us" or "Contact us" links to determine what person or organization has authored the information on the website.
  • Is the person/people/organization well regarded in this particular subject area?
  • Why does this website exist?
  • Is it designed to get you purchase something?
  • Is is designed to promote a certain way of thinking?
  • Why should you believe anything on the website?
  • How will you verify the information you read?
  • Are the people who wrote it credentialed or well-known in the field of study?
  • Is this a government or educational website?
  • When was the information last updated?