FAQ Answers

There are several factors that you will need to consider when evaluating any source: the author, the publisher, the date, the evidence, and the bias.

Depending on the type of source you are looking at and your research topic, some factors may be more important than others. It is important to consider all factors when evaluating a source, since the evaluation factors all work together to determine if a source is credible or not. This is the library guide on Evaluating Sources to help you evaluate all sources including websites.

On that guide, there is a tab that lists information the different website domains.  Domain endings are the end part of a URL (.com, .org, .edu, etc.). Sometimes the domain ending can give you a clue to a website's purpose. While domain endings can give you some ideas about a website, they should not be the only way you determine if a website is credible or not.

There is also a tab that has Evaluating Websites Exercises that you can practice evaluation of websites.

You need to look at the individual website as a whole to determine if the information is valid.