What About the Web? - EGL 135-050 - Marian Staats - Spring 2025

Be a Cautious User of the Internet

The Internet has a lot of great information, but it also hosts untrue or biased information. Make sure your sources are credible.

Who is responsible for the information?

What do you know about the author?
Is the author trustworthy?
Does the have credentials or experience to speak on this topic?

Is the information biased?

Does the author or the organization represent a particular point of view?

What is the purpose of the information?

Is it intended to educate?
Is it intended to persuade?
Who is the intended audience?

Is the information up to date?

When was the information published?
Is the topic likely to change as new discoveries are made?
Have responses or rebuttals been published?

Is the information well documented?

Does the author provide a way for you verify their claims?
Does the author give credit for ideas that are not their own?
Is the author affiliated with the authors they cite?
Does the author cherry-pick facts to support their ideas or do they provide a full context?

Is the information relevant?

Is the scope of coverage appropriate?
Does the author address the actual issue you are exploring or is it only tangentially related?

Click here to read a good overview of evaluating online information sources from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Excelsior College .

Selected Websites for Research

Several government websites:

USA.gov
The official website for the United States. From this site, you can explore information from all agencies within the federal government.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making
U.S. Census
The Census Bureau is the federal government’s largest statistical agency. We are dedicated to providing current facts and figures about America’s people, places, and economy.
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ mission is to enhance the quality of life, to promote economic opportunity, and to carry out the responsibility to protect and improve the trust assets of American Indians, Indian tribes and Alaska Natives.
Administration for Native Americans (A division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)
ANA promotes self-sufficiency for Native Americans by providing discretionary grant funding for community based projects, and training and technical assistance to eligible tribes and native organizations.
Office of Tribal Justice (A division of the U.S. Department of Justice)
A dedicated point of contact for Indian country-specific legal and policy matters.
Native American Heritage (National Archives)
Library of Congress

Good sites for research:

Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions.
ProCon.org
ProCon.org is the country's leading source for pro, con, and related research on controversial issues. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit nonpartisan public charity, ProCon.org uses professional researchers and rigorous editorial standards to explore more than 80 controversial issues from gun control and death penalty to illegal immigration and alternative energy.
HowStuffWorks
An "award-winning source of unbiased, reliable, easy-to-understand answers and explanations of how the world actually works."

You can also look for professional organizations related to your topic.

" Why can't I just use Wikipedia??? "

Wikipedia is a helpful site, but it isn't a reliable source for academic research. Wikipedia, and other websites that allow collaborative editing, may or may not have credible information--it isn't always easy to tell whether its credible or not. The editors may be wrong, they may not have the most up-to-date information, or they might even be vandalizing an article.

Where Wikipedia might be useful is at the bottom of the page. Sometimes you can find links there to primary documents and other sources.

Just for fun, here are some examples of Wikipedia vandalism.

EGL 135-050 - Marian Staats - Spring 2025

Click here for a presentation from the Library of Congress about Native American Relocation.

Be a Cautious User of the Internet

Selected Websites for Research

Several government websites:

Good sites for research:

" Why can't I just use Wikipedia??? "