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.
Think about these questions as you look at the following sites:
Sociological Research Online | Social costs of smoking
Think about these questions as you look at the following sites:
Addictive Behaviors | Melatonin | Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division
Think about these questions as you look at the following sites:
Pediatrics | Male Pregnancy | Google Announces Plan To Destroy All Information It Can't Index
Think about these questions as you look at the following sites:
ABC | Hatecrime Stats
Think about these questions as you look at the following sites:
Domestic Violence Stats |Image Quiz: Real or Fake?
Think about these questions as you look at the following sites:
The Nation | National Review
This page is adapted from:
Hammett, P. (1999). Teaching Tools for Evaluating World Wide Web Resources. Teaching Sociology, 27(1), 31-37. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1319243
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:
.edu (education) |
ranges from serious research to student pages |
.gov (government) |
factual information, usually reliable |
.org (organization) |
not-for-profit organizations, usually advocacy pages |
.com (commercial) |
commercial sites that usually promote or sell products |
.net (network) |
network providers that include both commercial and individual sites |
Advocacy: These pages attempt to influence public opinion. Their web address frequently ends with .org (organization).
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).
Informational: These pages present factual information. Educational institutions or government agencies often sponsor these pages. Their web addresses end with .edu and .gov, respectively.
News: These pages present extremely current information. Their web address often ends with .com (commercial).
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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