LibGuides: Evaluating Websites: Internet Tools

Internet Search Engines

Which Search Engine Do I Use?

Millions of Web pages are available to you, but even the largest search engines only contain about 1/6 of the Web in their database, so if you only use your favorite search engine you will be missing out on over 85% of the available resources. Below are a few search engines for you to try:

Google - Advanced Search
Provides more control with many options for making your searches more precise and getting more useful results.
Google Scholar
Searches scholarly research and resources.
Yippy
Search and organizes websites by subject and website type.
Ask.com
Uses the ExpertRank algorithm to provide relevant search results in popularity-ranked web pages based on the number of same-subject pages that reference them, suggested terms to refine a search, and link collections created by topic expert
Bing
Searches the Web and categorizes the results to the left of the window and offers suggestions for related searches, as well as a search history.

I Need More Help!!

Use the Internet to Search the Internet

Below are some sites that will further help you evaluate Internet sites and lead you to good sources:

Cerritos College Library Research Guides
Cerritos College library has hundreds of research guides created by librarians which include many trusted internet sites on a variety of topics.
Techniques & Questions
A good guide to techniques for evaluating websites fro UC Berkley Library.
FactCheck.org
A site that monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.
more...less...
A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. A nonpartisan, nonprofit "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.
BARE BONES 101: A Basic Tutorial on Searching the Web
An Internet tutorial from the University of South Carolina Beaufort South Campus Library

Beyond Internet Search Engines

Internet Search Directories

Internet Search Directories provide an alternative to internet search engines. Most often they contain content selected by humans who evaluate the usefulness of sites added. Below are some general search directories for searching the web:

ipl2
Librarian recommended websites organized by subject.
Infomine
Useful, reliable annotations. Compiled by academic librarians from the University of California and elsewhere.
Open Directory Project - ODP
The ODP is an Open Source inspired, volunteer managed initiative. Through a system of self-governance, volunteer editors manage the directory's growth and development, and through a system of checks-and-balances, ensure the directory is of superior quality.
Yahoo Directory
Very short descriptions. Often useful, especially for popular and commercial topics.

Checklist

image of clipboard with a checkmark Use these questions to help you evaluate websites:

Authority

1. Who published the page?

2. What is the domain type of the web site?

Accuracy

1. Who wrote the page?

2. Can you contact the person? How?

3. What is the purpose of the web site?

4. How is the author qualified to write the document on this page?

Objectivity

1. What are the goals/objectives of the site?

2. How detailed is the information

3. What opinions are expressed by the author

Currency

1. When was the website first published?

2. When was it last updated?

3. Are the links (if any) up-to-date?

Content

1. If links are provided, do they relate to the content of the web site?

2. Is there a balance between text and images?

3. Are sources given for the information presented?

Overall Rating

1. How well does this web site meet your information needs?