This guide can assist you in locating material for your research assignments. Explore by clicking on the tabs and resources listed within each page of the guide.
You can type in a site URL and see archived pages of a website. For instance, you can see the first MySpace page or Google page. This lets you "peek" into the past of a site.
Evaluate your Sources
Before you use a website -- or any source -- for an assignment, consider:
Purpose: Why was it created?
Authority: Who created this material? What are the author’s credentials?
Scope/Coverage: What does it include and leave out?
Accuracy: Is the information provided correct?
Currency: When was it created or last updated?
Objectivity: What is the author’s or sponsor’s point of view?
There are many variations on this technique -- here are links to a few of them.
When evaluating a web site, see if you can identify the authority, bias, currency and documentation of the site. You can also see this explained in a video. From Oklahoma City Community College.
This technique helps you select quality sources by examining other sources and internet fact-checking tools, and by examining the source itself. Source: Santa Barbara City College.
The CRAAP Test looks at currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, and the purpose of websites. It is a list of questions to help you evaluate information you find on the web. From CSU Chico.
