This is a tough question to answer, especially if you’re researching a topic new to you. And it’s an important question since you’re considering citing this website in your presentation.
If you find yourself in this situation, take a look at our guide titled Evaluating Information Found on the Internet. It’s text heavy; but this is a difficult topic so take the time to read it. Below are 6 items to consider when using information from a website. More details and examples are in the guide.
- Authorship
- Accuracy and verifiability of details
- Currency
- Publishing body
- Point of view bias
- Referral to and/or knowledge of the literature
The guide also describes how to spot propaganda and misinformation. (There’s a lot of that out on the Internet.)
Many of you have already found this guide. It’s been viewed over 17,000 times in the first 3 months of 2012. I hope you’ve found it useful. And don’t forget your librarian! We’re here to help with this sort of question.