When you're looking for information on the Web for school -- or really any time that you care that what you find is true and up-to-date -- you have to evaluate the website to make sure that you can trust the information on it.

AUTHORITY and ACCURACY:

1. Who is the author of the Web site? Is the web site a:

• commercial company (.com)
• academic institution (.edu)
• government agency (.gov)
• nonprofit organization (.org)
• network of computers (.net)
• military site (.mil)  
• country-sponsored (.uk) 

2. What are the qualifications or expertise of the individual/group that created the site? Is the information on the Web site reliable?

3. Is there a postal address or telephone number or just email to contact the author for more information?

4. Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors?

5. Are the sources for any factual information clearly listed so they can be verified in another source?

PURPOSE and CONTENT:

1. What is the purpose of the Web site? To provide research and scholarly information? To provide educational or factual information? To entertain? To advertise, market or sell something? To advocate ideas? To persuade you? Or, is there another purpose?

2. Is there a link to a page describing the goal of the organization, the nature of the company, or purpose of the sponsor?

3. Is the point of view of the author presented in a clear manner with its arguments well-supported?

4. If there is any advertising  on the Web page, is it clearly differentiated from the informational content?

CURRENCY:

1. When was the Web site last updated, revised, or modified?

2. Are any links broken (Error 404 messages)?

 Google Advanced Search

  Find websites that are more relevant to your needs by using the advanced search features in Google

Example scenario:

You are researching how stem cells from human embryos might help cure neurological diseases, especially Parkinson's disease

As outlined in the example search in the image below, you can use the following advanced search limiters are used and why:

• Limiter: this exact word or phrase
  • this will wrap whatever words you place into the box in quotation marks  - that will limit the results to websites with this exact phrase
• Limiter: any of these words
  •  By putting in "neural disease" OR "Parkinson's disease" - your search will show you websites that refer to either neural disease OR specifically to Parkinson's disease (a type of neural disease). This broadens your search
• Limiter: none of these words
  • ​Use this limiter by putting in a term or phrase that you do not want to see on any of the websites. The example word of cloning will not show up in your results about stem cells.
• Limiter: site or domain
  • And since you hope to find good, authoritative websites that have content that have been thoroughly researched, limit your results to government (.gov) websites

(click on image to enlarge)