Online Reference Sites- Are They Really Doing Their Homework?

When looking for information online, you have to be careful which sites you are relying on for our information.  Many sites, such as health information sites, government sites, and so forth you know are reliable in the information they are presenting because you know who they are in real life, and you would trust their information if it was told to you by them.  But some sites, you don’t know where they are getting their information, and who is putting it there.  It could be nothing more than that person’s opinion, or information that was true years ago. 

It’s important when looking at a site being considered for use of its materials that you look and see what the goal of the author really was.  Was it to share their opinion with the world, or do they have a biased view on the subject matter?  Another is anywhere on the site does it mention where the information came from? Was it researched or was it a study done by the website author themselves?  Can it be verified?  If you find contradicting information among the other websites on the internet on the same subject matter, chances are, you need to find an official reliable website to use because either there is no definitive answer, or there is so much information that the author didn’t include all of it, just some of it.  When the author of a website does that, it can change the whole tone and outcome of how the information is portrayed. 

One of the big indicators of whether or not a site knows what they are talking about is in the address.  If a site has a .org or .edu at the end, chances are the information is accurate.  If it ends in a .com or .net or .info, there is no guaranty of who wrote the information, where it came from, or if it is accurate.  Now, that’s not to say those sites can’t be completely reliable, because they can be.  You just may need to double check the information you are using to other sites, or see if they listed any sources, and compare it to those.  Many sites online will have sufficient accurate information, but be sure that you also check to see when the site was last updated.  Make sure that it’s in the time frame of the information you need, unless it’s about a subject that isn’t likely to change.  Lastly, if you find a site that you liked and knew was correct and reliable, use it again!  Odds are they update regularly and you will be able to find a plethora of information about numerous different topics.

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