If you choose to use websites to find your information there are a few shortcuts that might be helpful.

1. Narrow down the site or domain 

After your topic use...

: .org

: .gov

: .edu

This will narrow down the results to only websites from those types of domains.

2. Narrow down the file type

After your topic use...

: .pdf       (for PDF documents)

: .ppt       (for PowerPoint documents)

: .xls         (for Excel documents)

: .doc        (for Word documents)

: .kml  or : . kmz   (for Google Earth documents)

This will narrow down the results to only websites with those specific file types. 

Go beyond Google.com...Try

Website Source Located:

Give it the C.R.A.P.P. test!

Ask yourself the following questions about each website you're considering:

Currency

• How recent is the information?
• Can you locate a date when the page(s) were written/created/updated?
• Does the website appear to update automatically (this could mean no one is actually looking at it)?
• Based in your topic, is it current enough?

Reliability

• What kind of information is included in the website?
• Based on your other research, is it accurate? ...complete?
• Is the content primarily fact, or opinion?
• Is the information balanced, or biased?
• Does the author provide references for quotations and data?
• If there are links, do they work?

Authority

• Can you determine who the author/creator is?
• Is there a way to contact them?
• What are their credentials (education, affiliation, experience, etc.)?
• Is there evidence they're experts on the subject?
• Who is the publisher or sponsor of the site?
• Is this publisher/sponsor reputable?

Accuracy

• Can you verify the claims in other sources?
• Is there a bibliography or list of works cited?
• What types of sources and how many relevant sources are cited?
• Does the author demonstrate a depth of knowledge on the topic?

Purpose / Point of View

• What's the intent of the website (to persuade, to sell you something, etc.)?
• What is the domain (.edu, .org, .com, etc.)? How might that influence the purpose/point of view?
• Are there ads on the website? How do they relate to the topic being covered (e.g., an ad for ammuntion next to an article about firearms legislation)?
• Is the author presenting fact, or opinion?
• Who might benefit from a reader believing this website?
• Based on the writing style, who is the intended audience?

Adapted from and with thanks to: Molly Beestrum, Dominican University Librarian; and Vanderbilt University Library.