Because of the large variety of information sources available to you, it is often hard to tell if the information you are accessing is reliable or useful. You should never automatically accept the information you are retrieving as credible, accurate, or unbiased. How do you find the most trustworthy resources? You may not be a subject expert in the area you are researching, but there are a number of basic things to look for to help you evaluate the credibility of an information source.
After finding a source that is relevant to your topic, your detective work begins. Librarians and other experts pre-select materials available from the library. However, anyone can write and publish information; books are often self-published, newspapers publish opinions, magazines may reflect bias, or an interview you watch may not be from the most knowledgeable person on a subject. Websites in particular can be tricky to assess. The ease of posting material online makes it easier to find information, but not so easy to evaluate it.
The domain of a website gives important clues to its credibility. You can find the domain name, sometimes called the domain suffix, in the URL of the website – it’s the .com in amazon.com, and the .edu in seminolestate.edu. Domain names follow patterns established by domain name registering agencies, and you can use those patterns to discern clues about the purpose and geographic origin of a website.
Some domains are better sources for credible information. For example, websites containing .edu or .gov originate from accredited postsecondary educational institutions or US government offices. As such, they are usually more credible than .com or .cc websites that may have a commercial focus.
A confusing domain is .org. This domain is available to non-profit and for-profit organizations. While non-profit implies the organization does not have a commercial interest, it still could have biased or inaccurate information to further their agenda.
In general, here are some domain guidelines you can use when viewing a website:
| ✓.edu | ✓.gov | ✓.int | ✓.mil | ✓ac.uk |
| ? .org | ? .com | ? .cc | ? .co |
| ? .net | ? .ca | ? .us | ? .biz |
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* Currency -
o How recent is the information?
o How recently has the website been updated?
o Is it current enough for your topic?
* Reliability -
o What kind of information is included in the resource?
o Is content of the resource primarily opinion? Is is balanced?
o Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?
* Authority -
o Who is the creator or author?
o What are the credentials?
o Who is the published or sponsor?
o Are they reputable?
o What is the publisher's interest (if any) in this information?
o Are there advertisements on the website?
* Purpose/Point of View -
o Is this fact or opinion?
o Is it biased?
o Is the creator/author trying to sell you something?