BE SKEPTICAL on the www.
Anyone can post anything, even if it's not true.
Consider the AAOC
Authority
*who is the author or publisher?
*are there credentials?
*check the homepage (or first domain) to find out who is behind a source
Accuracy
*is there SOLID evidence (facts that agree with other sources, statistics, etc)
*is there a bibliography or a reference list showing where the information came from?
Objectivity
*is the website bias towards one side of an issue?
*is the website heavily sponsored by someone who is trying to sell you something?
*is there more advertising than content?
Currency
*does your topic require VERY current information? (for example, for ancient history it probably isn't that important. For Climate Change it is very important)
To CITE a website you will need:
Name of the Container Website (NOT the URL) (for example, the container website for our school is Teton County School District)
Publisher or Sponsor of the website (usually found on the bottom of the page next to the copyright date)
Copyright date (usually found on the bottom of the homepage)
Name of the page that you are actually using (the one that you take notes from)
Author (if there is one. if no author, leave blank)