Website Evaluation Tutorial
- Website Evaluation TutorialIf 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.
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 SearchUse to specify website domain when searching, such as .gov sites for government information.
Recommended Websites
- What's Driving California? The Past, Present, and Future(s) of Transportation in the Golden StateShould California invest in new public transit systems to lure drivers out of their cars and onto gleaming, new rail lines and low- or no-emission buses? Or should it mandate plenty of free parking at every new development to make it easy for drivers to reach their destinations without traffic-snarling searches for parking? Should we increasingly rely on the emerging mobility service providers to ease parking hassles and improve access to public transit? Or should we discourage these disruptive new services in favor of more traditional means of travel? The answers to the questions may seem obvious when considered in isolation, but when taken together they can collectively result in outcomes that undercut one another.
- The Future of Transportation and Urban Planning: A California 100 Report on Policies and Future ScenariosThis California 100 Report on Policies and Future Scenarios was produced as part of California 100’s research stream of work, in partnership with 20 research institutions across the state.
- American Public Transportation AssociationThe American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the expansion of public transportation in the United States and Canada. The APTA website provides an archive of policy recommendations, federal regulations, and legislation backgrounds. Additionally, the website features news, standards guidelines, campaign material, statistics, aggregated news, and online editions of Passenger Transport.
- Community Transportation Association of AmericaThe Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) is a coalition of transportation providers as well as support and advocacy organizations that promotes access to transportation as an essential human right. CTAA and its nationwide representatives work toward finding transportation solutions for every community. The CTAA website features transportation industry and legislative news as well as issues of CTAA's publications, Community Transportation magazine and Rail magazine.
- Federal Transit AdministrationThe Federal Transit Administration (FTA) supports public transportation programs with financial and technical assistance as part of the United States Department of Transportation. The FTA website includes videos, history, news, speeches, program summaries, regulations, and guides.
- OmniTransOmnitrans is the public transit agency serving the San Bernardino Valley. It currently operates local and express bus routes as well as sbX rapid bus transit service, OmniGo hometown shuttle service, and Access, a paratransit service for the disabled.
- StreetsblogStreetsblog is an education and journalism project that provides information on how to reduce automobile dependency, improve pedestrian conditions, and expand public transit. The Streetsblog website features news stories and policy recommendations while its affiliated organization Streetfilms provides videos featuring alternative transport solutions and world transportation news.
Fact Check your sources using SIFT -- Click through the tabs to begin the tutorial
Introducing SIFT
SIFT is an easy-to-use four-step method of fact-checking information you find anywhere. Digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield has created a few short videos to explain how to best use SIFT.
Step 1: Stop!
Before you use a source. ask yourself:
Who's responsible for the information?
Who created and disseminated it? And do you recognize the source?
If so, do you trust it? If the answer is no or you're unsure, consider some of the following:
Step 2: Investigate the Source
What do others have to say about the organization and the creators? (Hint: Try scanning the Wikipedia article on the source, if there is one) Look for surprises, particularly those that deviate from your initial impression! Take a look at the video (2:45) that covers how to fact-check efficiently and effectively by "reading vertically"
Step 3: Find Better Coverage
If you're unsure about a source especially if it is making a claim that you want to use or share, investigate if other sources that you trust more are also making the claim. The following video (4:10) covers strategies for finding better coverage of a claim:
Step 4: Trace Claims, Quotes and media to the Original Context
Context is critical when it comes to information claims. And information changes as it gets passed along and shared, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes deliberately. So, consider tracing the claim back to its original source and context. Take a look at the following video (1:33) that covers tips for "going upstream" and finding the original context: