The Internet can be an excellent source of high quality, reliable information but it is crucial to question the quality of this information as anyone at all can publish anything on the internet.
You use the same criteria of currency, reliability, authority and purpose to evaluate websites as you would any other kinds of information. The "Using the Internet" video has some additional points that will help you when looking at websites in particular.
The type of domain provides you a hint as to the reliability of the website at which you are looking.
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.edu (educational institution) .gov (government)
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These are more likely to be reliable and unbiased. |
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.org (non-profit organisation) .asn (non-commercial organisation) |
Sometimes these organisations can be biased toward one side of an issue that is actually quite complex. |
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.com (commercial site) .net (network) |
Try to avoid these sites as they are likely to be unreliable. .net is the domain given to any site that doesn't fit into the other domain categories. |
If you find a .com or .net site that you think is ok, look at the currency, reliability, authority and purpose to see if your suspicion is supported by evidence.
Here are some suggestions about where you might find reputable websites:
Tip: For tips about how to search more effectively in Google, check out these Google search strategies
Charles Sturt University acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which its campuses are located, paying respect to Elders, both past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples.
Charles Sturt University is an Australian University, TEQSA Provider Identification: PRV12018. CRICOS Provider: 00005F.
