We know that most of you will start your research online (probably using Google), so let's lay down some ground rules for how to evaluate webpages and find credible, reliable, and relevant information.
Anyone can put information on the Internet; therefore, it's important to be skeptical when reading any web-based source. There is no official set of criteria that can tell you a website is credible or incredible, but here are a few questions to ask when you're wondering if you can use a certain web page in your paper/project or not:
Author/Credibility
Purpose
There's nothing wrong with a source having a point of view, but you need to be aware of it so you can investigate the other sides. Example: Information on gun control from the National Rifle Association.
Currency
Think about your topic and how important recent information is to it. For an art history project , it probably isn't very important. For a paper on genetic engineering or the latest treatment of cancer, it is very important.
Accuracy
This is the ultimate point. But you may not know enough about a topic to judge. Look for solid evidence, such as research studies and statistics. Is there a bibliography orreference list to other sources the author used? These indicate the information is based on research rather than just opinion.
Ease of Use
Knowing about website domains can help you know where to begin looking for credible information.
Examples of Domains:
Use this handout to help you through the steps on the left. This checklist will help you determine if your source is valuable and credible, or if you should probably attempt to find a source that's more reliable.
You should never ever ever ever never ever cite Wikipedia in an academic paper. However, is Wikipedia a good resource for college research? Why the heck not?!
Wikipedia can be a great place to start your research. It can provide you with extensive background information on a topic, and can lead you in the direction of other quality - and even schoalrly - resources.
Check out this site for further information: 4 Ways to Use Wikipedia
Here are a few examples of some good and some questionable sites, can you tell which is which?