It can be tempting to use any source in your paper that seems to agree with your thesis, but you need to carefully evaluate websites and decide which ones you can trust.
How to evaluate a website
Authority: Why can we believe this source?
- Who is the author? What are their credentials?
- Does the author provide contact information?
- Is the site created or sponsored by a reputable organization?
- Find this information in the About section of the website or look for the Mission of the website.
Viewpoint: What is the author’s perspective?
- Does the author have a bias?
- What is the purpose for the website? Is it to inform, teach, entertain or sell?
- Does the point of view seem objective and impartial? Is the tone
Accuracy: How up to date and accurate is the website?
- When was the website last updated?
URL: What does the URL tell you about a website
- What is the extension in the URL? .com, .gov, .org …
- What does the URL say about the website?
Currency
- Do the links work?
- When was the information published or updated?
