Research Guides: History: World History 1500- Present: Find Websites

Website Evaluation Tutorial

Website Evaluation Tutorial
If you're starting a research assignment and want to do a quick review on how to evaluate websites. Check out our online website evaluation tutorial.

Website Domain Types

.com – Commercial websites

Generally created by a business or corporation and is for profit.
Provides information on products or is motivated by sales.

.edu – Educational websites

Created by a college, university or grade school.
Information is provided for academic purposes.
Highly regulated and can only be owned by an educational organization.

.gov – Government websites

Created by local, state, and national goverments.
Information is provided for the public.
Highly regulated and can only be owned by a government organization.

.org – Organization website

Used by both non-profit organizations, for profit corporations and individuals.
Organization websites can be owned by a corporation and be sales motivated, owned by an individual or owned by a non-profit organization that provides information supporting a specific cause or viewpoint.
Carefully evaluate non-profit organizations as they can have a particular viewpoint on an issue, so the information they provide can be biased or slanted in order to support their viewpoint.

Recommended Websites

Academy of Achievment
The Academy of Achievement is like no other organization in the world. For 50 years, this unique non-profit foundation has sparked the imagination of students across America and around the globe by bringing them into direct personal contact with the preeminent leaders of our times. The Academy was founded by Brian Blaine Reynolds, an acclaimed photographer best known for his contributions to Life magazine and Sports Illustrated. Reynolds established the Academy of Achievement to bring aspiring young people together with real-life heroes
The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
The Avalon Project will mount digital documents relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government. We do not intend to mount only static text but rather to add value to the text by linking to supporting documents expressly referred to in the body of the text.
BBC News Middle East Crisis
The BBC provides plentiful helpful contextual and current information on the Middle East crisis. Offers Top Stories on Israel & the Palestinians, profiles of key players, BBC audio and video, maps, country profiles, stories of ordinary citizens, key documents, time lines, profiles, web links, and more
Digital History -- University of Houston
This website presents American history by using new technologies. It contains an interactive timeline, primary sources,virtual exhibitions, multimedia, sections for teachers, biographies, maps, images, etc.
EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History
These open access sources are readily available to all -- without fees or subscriptions.
The links connect to European primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated.
They shed light within the respective countries over a broad range of historical happenings (political, economic, social and cultural).
The order of documents is chronological wherever possible, and may include video or sound files, maps, databases, and other documentation.
Food Timeline
FoodTimeline library owns 2000+ books, hundreds of 20th century USA food company brochures, & dozens of vintage magazines (Good Housekeeping, American Cookery, Ladies Home Journal &c.) We also have ready access to historic magazine, newspaper & academic databases. Service is free.
Historical World Maps
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas Austin Libraries.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook
This site is intended to serve the needs of teachers and students in college survey courses in modern European history and American history, as well as in modern Western Civilization and World Cultures.
Library of Congress World History & Cultures
These pages link to selected collection content available online at the Library of Congress, arranged by broad categories. The Library's online content represents only a small percentage of its physical holdings.
Smithsonian.com - History & Archaelogy
Smithsonian magazine's in-depth coverage of history, science, nature, the arts, travel, world culture and technology

Evaluating Websites for Use for Research Assignments

Are you considering using a website for a research assignment?

Not all websites are appropriate for academic research and you need to examine them carefully in order to determine if the information is accurate, credible, and supports your research assignment.

Websites can be created by anyone and facts, images, and videos can be easily altered. Websites have to be carefully evaluated for use in your research assignments. Also be sure to ask your instructor if they will accept a website as a source for your research assignment.

There are countless websites available on various topics, but how do you determine what websites are the best to use? There are four main questions you want to ask yourself when critically examining a website in order to determine if it is appropriate for your research assignment:

WHO created the website?

WHAT type of website is it and what is the website's domain?

WHEN was the information on the website last updated?

WHY was the website created?

WHO created the website?

What company, organization or person created the website? Was the information posted by a business, a researcher in the field, or a layperson?
Is the author a subject specialist in their field, what is their educational background, and have they published books or articles on the topic?
Is there contact information for the creator or sponsor of the site such as an email address or a phone number?
Anyone can create a website or blog and post whatever information they want, whether it is true or not, so having contact information available shows that the website is more credible and accountable. Hint: Best place to look for the website creator's information is at the bottom or top of the page or under the About, Information, Mission or FAQs (frequently asked questions) section of the website.

WHAT type of website is it and WHAT is the website's domain?

There are certain types of websites that are highly regulated and tend to be more appropriate for research assignments, such as websites with the .edu and .gov domains. That is because educational .edu and government .gov websites can only be issued to an educational organization or a government organization and their content is under more scrutiny and oversight. They can provide original research and information on that topic for government and academic purposes and are not motivated by sales, but educational .edu and government .gov websites can still have bias or a particular viewpoint on a topic. For example, if you look at https://www.whitehouse.gov/ The White House website you can see that all the information is government related and there are no ads on the site.

Keep in mind that any website you use for research purposes should always be carefully evaluated, even if it is a .edu or .gov website.

WHEN was the information on the website last updated?

How current the information is on a website or when it was last updated is dependent on your research topic. Sometimes your professor will ask that you use sources from the last few years.
If you are researching a current, controversial issue, you need to have the most up to date information. Especially if your topic is related to changes in the law or recent scientific discoveries.
Try looking at the bottom of the webpage or the top of the article to see when the information was posted or last updated.
Also look on the webpage for links to references and articles that show where the information came from and make sure to click on the links to see if they actually work.

WHY was the website created?

Examining the motives of the website creator will help you to determine if there is a particular viewpoint or bias in providing that information. For example commercial websites, such as a .com or .net, are generally going to be motivated to sell you something or to advertise their product, so you need to be aware of that in terms of determining if the website's information is accurate and appropriate to use for a research assignment.

Consider why the author posted the information on the website. Critically thinking about why the information was posted, helps you determine if the website is appropriate to use for your research assignment:

Inform - the author is simply stating informational facts.
Explain - the author is explaining a subject.
Entertain - the author is attempting to entertain the reader.
Persuade - the author is striving to change your point of view on a topic
Sell - the author is trying to get you to purchase something

Google Advanced Search

Quick Tip: If you are searching Google for a website with a specific domain, such as a .gov or .edu, when you type in your search add "site:" and the domain type at the end of your search term. For example, if you wanted to find government websites on gun control, type in "gun control site:.gov". Or if you wanted to specifically search for non-profit websites that had information on wildlife, type in "wildlife site:.org".

Google Advanced Search
Use to specify website domain when searching, such as .gov sites for government information.