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Evaluating Websites

Evaluating Websites

This guide is designed to provide you with some basic tools and skills to help you determine whether or not a web resources is credible, whether it presents accurate and well-researched information, and more. 

Remember, creating a website is cheap and easy. The burden is on you, the reader, to determine the authenticity and integrity of a website. 

First Steps...

First, think about what type of information you need. Do you need information for a class assignment? Is it for personal use? How much do you know about this topic already? Your information need will determine the type of information that will be most useful to you; some websites that provide factual content still may not provide the best information for you in the moment.

Information Need Information Type
Background Information

Dictionaries / Encyclopedias (print or digital)

Websites

Wikipedia

Books (print or ebooks)

Current Events

News sites, newspapers (print or digital)

Radio

Television

Data / Statistics

Government Websites

Non-Profit Organization Websites

Opinion

Social Media

Blogs

Magazines

Newspapers

Research / Analysis

Scholarly Articles (print or online databases)

Scholarly Books (print or ebooks)