Cultivate an attitude of skepticism when it comes to web-based content. If you have any doubt whatsoever about the reliability of any given website, clear it with your instructor or check with a librarian before you use it in your paper.
Take a look at some of these great website evaluation tips!
Finding what you need on comprehensive websites can be time-consuming. Look for sitemap to locate specific materials, or use this handy trick:
This technique will yield search results for your keyword(s) only within the website URL.
Narrowing your results:
You can search by specific domains. For example, if you only want government jobs sites, you can search "jobs" + "site:.gov" .
You can also also search for specific file types. For example, to search for a PDF document on jobs, search "jobs" + filetype:PDF.
While it is useful to visit corporate websites to gain an understanding of the information and image that the individual company is looking to portray, this information should not be mistaken for unbiased reporting/data. Content on a corporate website may be editorial (created by the company to promote a particular point of view) or even written by an outside source (third party) for use in promotion of a particular product or brand. Several prominent corporate websites - including Forbes, Fast Company and Huffpost - have recently come under fire for masking such outside content (for which writers are paid) as unbiased reporting. Don't be fooled - always consider the potential bias of a source and refer to suggested MU databases when applicable.
Need help? Refer to MU's information literacy & "fake news" research guide, or to AllSides, a media bias ranking resource.
