There are a lot of high-quality sources available freely on the web; however, many of the sites you will encounter are NOT acceptable for college-level academic work.
When deciding whether or not to use a source you’ve found on Google or another search engine, ask yourself:
- First of all, did your instructor say that certain types of sources should be used for your assignment? For example, does your assignment require "scholarly" or "peer-reviewed" sources? Did your instructor specify that the information should come from a "print source?" If so, you need to make sure the sources you find meet these criteria. When in doubt, ask a librarian for help!
- Who wrote or provided the information for this source you have found? The author(s) should have expertise in the subject you are researching.
- If an organization, corporation, or government body is providing the information, does it have the credibility to write on this subject? (Sites ending in .gov are USUALLY acceptable, but you still want to investigate the body sponsoring a particular site.
Web portals or directories can help you to weed through some of the “debris” on the web. Some examples:
