Ask yourself the following questions when researching from a website:
Some sources are more credible than other sources. peer-reviewed scholarly journals or works published by a university press professional society or scientific publisher are more likely to be viewed as credible sources. primary sources are often more reliable than a secondary source although secondary sources are good resources to support an argument.
Some sources provide a works cited list or reference list. Always check the original source to verify and interpret the information. The sites listed above may not be credible resources in themselves, but may provide links to credible information.
To find information about a website, find the home page. You may have to deconstruct the URL. For example, you might be looking for a page that talks about the first jobs of famous business tycoons. The search engine turns up the following site: http://fortune.com/2015/03/31/four-successful-business-tycoons-first-jobs/
In order to find the home page, you need to eliminate everything on the address after the .com
http://fortune.com
Now you have the home page. From there you can access information about the company, note whether material has been updated, and get contact information. The homepage gives a good picture of credibility.
Domain names give you a hint about the Website's purpose.
Note that personal websites can be a part of an educational website. The Institution is not responsible for the content on the site, which may belong to a student or to a faculty member. A faculty member may not check a student work for accuracy before allowing the work to be posted. Likewise, the work may have been posted to show a class what NOT to do.
YOU! You are the most important tool for evaluating a source's credibility. Use common sense and critical thinking skills to determine an author's credibility. Be vigilant in your research. Remember to look at both sides of an issue if you want to effectively argue a point. You cannot conduct too much research. If you read an article stating that dogs are starting a revolution to usher in a world without cats, common sense tells you the information is not credible. Always use common sense.