Only .gov and .edu sites cannot be purchased by individuals or companies!

Books and journal articles have editors who evaluate the content, however web sites are not evaluated--EXCEPT BY YOU. This means you need to spend time evaluating any web site before you use it for your research assignments. Examine the web site address. Most web sites are one of six different types of sites:

Educational (.edu) This type of web site can have various purposes. It can provide high quality research findings or digital content. Beware, some “.edu” pages can be personal web sites.

Governmental (.gov or .mil) The purpose is to inform or educate with factual information, generally without opinion. It can be one of the most reliable and useful types of web sites.

Advocacy (.org) The web site is sponsored by an organization attempting to influence public opinion. The information may be biased.

News (.com) The purpose is to provide very current information, updated multiple times a day. The emphasis is on quickly updating the web site, and not necessarily on double checking the facts.

Commercial or Entertainment (.com, .net or .org) The web site is created by a commercial entity and the purpose is to sell or promote products. Beware, the information may be biased.

Personal (.edu, .org, .net or .com) The URL usually contains "~". The purpose of the web site can be just about anything. Organizations may not control what an individual posts on their own individual pages within an organization's web site.