SEC 620 - Dr. Kirnon, Dr. Sharififard

The Web offers a wealth of information, but not all of it is equally accurate or reliable. Unfortunately there is no easy checklist to consult to see if a Web page is credible. As with all information resources, the usefulness of the information may depend on what was needed in the first place. If you're using a Web-based source for an academic research paper, you'll need to evaluate and cite the source carefully.

Advocacy: These pages attempt to influence public opinion. Their web address frequently ends with .org (organization).

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  • e.g. The Democratic Party (www.democrats.org)
  • e.g. The Republican Party (www.rnc.org)

Marketing/Business: These pages are sponsored by a commercial body and are used primarily to promote or sell products. Their web address frequently ends with .com (commercial).

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  • e.g. Coca Cola (www.coca-cola.com)
  • e.g. Microsoft (www.microsoft.com)

Informational: These pages present factual information. Educational institutions or government agencies often sponsor these pages. Their web addresses end with .edu and .gov, respectively.

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  • e.g. Pepperdine University (www.pepperdine.edu)
  • e.g. National Library of Medicine (www.nlm.nih.gov)

News: These pages present extremely current information. Their web address often ends with .com (commercial).

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  • e.g. CNN (www.cnn.com)
  • e.g. USA Today (www.usatoday.com)

Personal: These pages are published by an individual who may or may not be affiliated with a larger institution or organization. Their web address may have a variety of endings (.com, .edu, etc.), and will frequently contain a tilde (~).

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  • e.g. Ron Henry's Home Page (http://www.sterlinggroup.com/ron.html)

In summary, the URL or address of a web page often carries information about the source of the information. There are 5 primary domains (or address groups) for U.S. pages: