Dr. Nabours - History Courses

Websites, like all potential sources, must be evaluated to determine reliability.  While not scholarly sources, information found on the internet can still be used as a source for your research if it meets certain standards. Consider these 4 aspects about an online source to determine if it is reliable:

1. Author
2. Motivation or Bias
3. Evidence
4. Timeliness

1. Author

• Is the author listed?
• Is the author an individual or a group?
• What makes the author an expert?

2. Motivation or Bias

• Is this opinion or fact?
• Is the source supported by an organization or company? What do they stand to gain from this?
• Websites ending in ".edu" or ".gov" will more likely present a neutral point of view (but not always).
• Are your own biases making you critical about the source before examining the evidence?

3. Evidence

• Does the source provide any evidence such as citations or links? Do the links work?
• Was the information reviewed by experts?
• Can you confirm the information in another source?

4. Timeliness

• When was the information published or last updated?
• Is the information up to date?

Search for stories on these fact-checking websites to determine their bias and if what you see on the internet is actually true.