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If you choose to use websites to find your information there are a few shortcuts that might be helpful.

 

1. Narrow down the site or domain 

After your topic use...

: .org

: .gov

: .edu

This will narrow down the results to only websites from those types of domains.

 

2. Narrow down the file type

After your topic use...

: .pdf       (for PDF documents)

: .ppt       (for PowerPoint documents)

: .xls         (for Excel documents)

: .doc        (for Word documents)

: .kml  or : . kmz   (for Google Earth documents)

This will narrow down the results to only websites with those specific file types. 

 

Go beyond Google.com...Try

Google Scholar           Google News

 

 

Website Source Located:

Give it the C.R.A.P.P. test!

Ask yourself the following questions about each website you're considering:

Currency

  • How recent is the information?
  • Can you locate a date when the page(s) were written/created/updated?
  • Does the website appear to update automatically (this could mean no one is actually looking at it)?
  • Based in your topic, is it current enough?

Reliability

  • What kind of information is included in the website?
  • Based on your other research, is it accurate? ...complete?
  • Is the content primarily fact, or opinion?
  • Is the information balanced, or biased?
  • Does the author provide references for quotations and data?
  • If there are links, do they work?

Authority

  • Can you determine who the author/creator is?
  • Is there a way to contact them?
  • What are their credentials (education, affiliation, experience, etc.)?
  • Is there evidence they're experts on the subject?
  • Who is the publisher or sponsor of the site?
  • Is this publisher/sponsor reputable?

 

Accuracy

  • Can you verify the claims in other sources?
  • Is there a bibliography or list of works cited?
  • What types of sources and how many relevant sources are cited?
  • Does the author demonstrate a depth of knowledge on the topic?

Purpose / Point of View

  • What's the intent of the website (to persuade, to sell you something, etc.)?
  • What is the domain (.edu, .org, .com, etc.)? How might that influence the purpose/point of view?
  • Are there ads on the website? How do they relate to the topic being covered (e.g., an ad for ammuntion next to an article about firearms legislation)?
  • Is the author presenting fact, or opinion?
  • Who might benefit from a reader believing this website?
  • Based on the writing style, who is the intended audience?

 

 

Adapted from and with thanks to: Molly Beestrum, Dominican University Librarian; and Vanderbilt University Library.


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