Ask yourself the following questions before using information from any Web site.
1. Who produces this site?
- Is the site produced by a reputable college, university, or other information-providing institution? The URLs for these types of institutions include the following "domain" codes:
- ac (British academic institution)
- edu (US educational institution)
- gov (governmental body)
- org (non-profit organization)
- Is the site produced by an individual? These sites require special scrutiny. Look for answers to the following questions before using information from these sources.
- Are you familiar with the author as a recognized authority in the subject area of the information contained on the page?
- If not, does the site contain biographical information and/or credentials about the individual?
- Do those credentials tie the individual to reputable institutions?
- Sometimes it is difficult to discern who produces a site because the site is several levels into a larger site. In these situations, try the following:
- Locate a "Home" link that will lead you to the main page.
- Truncate the URL back to each single forward slash. For example, http://www.ecu.edu/lib/music.cfm would be truncated to http://www.ecu.edu/lib to see that the Music Library site is part of the Joyner Library site.
2. How current is the information contained on this site?
- Determine the last date on which the site was updated.
- Check the bottom of the opening page of the site for an indication of when the site was last updated.
- If the site has not been updated within the last six months, be cautious about using information contained on the site.
created by David Hursh, 08-23-99, rev. NN 6-25-07, 5-9-12
