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EN 202: Websites

Why Use Websites?

Why Use Websites?

You are allowed to use one website for your paper. This is a good opportunity to locate: 

  • Recent news articles
  • Local information
  • Government information 
  • Organizations
  • Associations

Websites are great to locate information you would not otherwise find in books and journal articles, especially recent news, social movements and statistics. BUT, websites require a lot of fact checking to make sure they're authentic and their information is good. Choose your website wisely!

Website Evaluation

Website Evaluation

Anyone can create a website. It's your job to determine if a website is a scholarly resource.

Stop the D.R.A.M.A. around website selection! Use the checklist below as a guide to evaluate websites:

Date
  • How recent is the information?
  • Is the information current enough for your topic?

Relevance
  • Does the content of the source match your topic?

Accuracy
  • Are there spelling or grammar mistakes?
  • Do the links on the webpage work properly?
  • Does the author provide references or sources for data?

Motivation
  • Why did the author create this source? To inform? To sell you something? To entertain? To sway your opinion?
  • Is the information fact or opinion?
  • Is it biased?

Authority
  • Who wrote this source?
  • What are the creator's credentials? Do they have a PhD or an advanced degree from an accredited university?
  • Who is the publisher? 

Evaluating Websites

Domain Indicators

Domain Names

When evaluating a web resource, analyze the domain name and determine if the creator of the webpage can be trusted.

Domain Names / .com Commercial Intent - can be created by anyone / .org Organization - wide range of credibility / .edu Educational institution - Since 2001, must be US Institution of higher ed. / .gov Government entity - restricted to US government sites. Federal, state or local.

Domain Name Differences by adstarkel. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.