How to Evaluate Websites - Quick Tips
Evaluate websites that have information you would like to use in your assignments.
Look on each website for an "About Us" page to answer some of the following questions:
- Who is the author?
- What are his/her qualifications?
- Why was the website created?
- When was it last updated?
- How reliable is the information?
Apply the CRAAP Test!
Test your skills by evaluating this website: http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
Wikipedia and Academic Research
Why NOT to use Wikipedia for academic research:
| X | Anyone can contribute to a Wikipedia article. |
| X | No information about authors' credentials and purpose. |
How Wikipedia CAN be useful in the beginning stages of research:
| √ | A basic overview of your topic. |
| √ | Important names and vocabulary related to your topic. |
| √ | Table of contents for some entries, helping you to understand how your topic can be organized. |
| √ |
References and other websites that may be helpful (though you will need to evaluate them to be sure). |
Better Googling
Here's how to craft a better search:
- Identify the main ideas in your research question.
physics and shoe design
- Connect the main ideas with AND.
physics AND shoe design
- Use quotation marks around 2 or more words.
physics AND "shoe design"
- Use OR between synonyms.
(physics OR mechanics) AND "shoe design"
- Limit your search to a specific domain, such as .edu, .gov, or .org.
(physics OR mechanics) AND "shoe design" site:.gov