Research Literature on the Web
The Web offers access to a wide variety of informational materials from governments, associations, organizations, agencies, news outlets, universities, research institutes, consumer groups, commercial entities, and the guy down the street! So how do you know what is research material and what is not?
Look for the clues:
1. Ascertain who publishes the website/pageA good website will have a link to a page that gives you information about the site's publisher. It's usually labeled "About Us," "Mission" or similar terminology.Look for:
If no information is available about the site's publisher, check the URL or web address (e.g., http://www.cdc.gov). Domains such as .gov and .edu are the best domains for scholarly and research-based information. Field-related organizational web sites (.org) can also be good sources of information - but beware of bias! |
2. Look for information about the authorMost scholarly and research-type materials will list an author and give some information about the author's expertise. If no author is given, use materials only from reputable and reliable sites (see above).The page or article should have:
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