Philosophy

There are many wonderful and reputable sources on the Internet but often it can difficult to find them after weeding through all other sites that come up in a Google search.

Some criteria to look for include:

• .com? .net? -- these are commercial sites
• .org? -- this often indicates a non-profit
• .gov? -- only government sites have this domain
• .edu? -- only educational institutions have this domain

• Is this someone's personal page?
• What are the author or authors' credentials?

• Is the information current? When was the page last updated?
• Are sources documented with footnotes, a list of references or links?
• Do the links work? Do they link to relevant sites on the topic?
• Do other reputable sites link to this page (search Google using the link operator: type link:http://www.website.com)
• Why was this page created? As a joke or satire? To misinform people? To sell a product? Or to provide useful and important information to a broad range or users?