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The Internet contains an abundance of information. So much information that it can be overwhelming. With all this information available it's important to be able to tell which websites are trustworthy. Below are some things you can look for when determining a site's trustworthiness.
- Who is the author? What their credentials and are they qualified to discuss the subject?
- How current is the information? On what date was the website last updated? Older information may no longer be accurate.
- What is their point of view? What type of bias are they portraying? Every one has a bias/point of view but it's important to investigate both sides.
- How accurate is the information? Can what is being presented by the author(s) be verified? Are there spelling, grammar, or typographical errors? This may require comparing other sources.
- Who is the audience?
- What domain is being used? Domains that contain '.gov' or '.edu' tend to be more reliable than those with '.com' or '.net.' This is not to say '.coms' or '.nets' are always unreliable.
If you are still unsure, UA-PTC Libraries have a website evaluation worksheet that you can fill out to help you determine whether or not a website should be trusted.
Curated by the Library of Congress African-American Odyssey collects documents, videos, and audio of the African-American experience.
This site provides a list of links to a variety of collections curated by the Library of Congress related to American History.
Documenting the American South
Sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's University Library, Documenting the American South is "a digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture. Currently DocSouth includes sixteen thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs."
Primary historical documents from Western Europe. Organized by country and by time periods.
A great resource for both students and teachers. Houses primary documents, teaching resources, and guides on how to analyze historical information.
Charged with protecting and preserving historically and legally important documents of the United States, The National Archives holdings include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and naturalization records as well as many others.
World Digital Library
The World Digital Library provides a vast collection of significant primary documents from countries and cultures from around the world free of charge and in multilingual formats.
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