Things You'll Need:
- The internet
- A research topic
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Step 1
Check the connections.
Figure out if the information is connected to an institution, and if so, what it is. A government, business, or university website is more likely to have reliable information than a personal website. There are exceptions to this, however, so don't rule out a source just because of this factor. -
Step 2
Check the author.
Who wrote the article? You will need this information if you are going to write a bibliography. If you can, also find out what the author's credentials are - it can make a big difference if they have a doctorate in the subject, are a professional writer, or are a fifth grade English student. Web sites that do not list the author are generally not good sources, with the exception of business sites where the information is attributed to the entire company. -
Step 3
Check the date.
If you can, try to find out when the site was last updated. This is especially important if your research needs to be current. The "most recent studies" may not be relevant if the article was written in 1998. If you are writing a bibliography, chances are that you will need this date as well as the date that you viewed the site.
