A Checklist for Evaluating Internet Resources:

Web Extensions

WHO?
Who is the author of the piece?

Is the author the original source of this information?
YES/NO/CAN'T TELL

Does he/she list his/her occupation, years of experience, position or education?

With this information or lack of it, do you feel this person is qualified to write on the given topic?

WHERE?
What institution (company, organization, government, university) or Internet provider supports this information?

If it is a commercial Internet provider, does the author appear to have any affiliation with a larger institution?

If it is an institution, is it a national institution? Local institution? International institution?

Does the institution appear to filter the information appearing under its name?

Does the author's affiliation with this particular institution appear to bias the information?

WHAT?
When was this document created or last updated?

What appears to be the purpose of the document? (Inform, explain, persuade, etc.)

CONCLUSION:
Given all the information you determined from the above questions, is this Internet site an appropriate source of information for your topic?

Would you have any reservations in telling someone else to use this information? Would you make any disclaimers in using this information?

Web/Internet Vocabulary: "Top Level Domains" or "Extensions"

Just knowing what type of organization published a web page can help you decide if the information on the page is valid and worthy of your consideration:

.com = commercial
i.e. www.pepsi.com Pepsi Cola company

.org = organization, frequently non-profit
i.e. www.aa.org Alcoholics Anonymous

.edu = educational
i.e. www.harpercollege.edu William Rainey Harper College

.gov = federal government
i.e. www.peacecorps.gov The U.S. Peace Corps

.mil = military
i.e. navycals.dt.navy.mil Navy Continuous Acquisition and Life-Cycle Support

.net = part of a constituent network (usually a place where you can buy Internet service/space.)
i.e. www.concentric.net Concentric, an Internet Service Provider

geographic (i.e. .il .uk) = where server is located
i.e. www.employment.com.au "au" means the server is located in Australia

Other examples of geographic extensions:
.uk Great Britain and Northern Ireland
.jp Japan
.de Germany (think "Deutschland")
.ca Canada

Some are not so obvious!
.se is for Sweden, .ch is for Switzerland, .sz is Swaziland!

New extensions are on the way!
People are already launching sites with .biz and .info -
.name, .pro, .aero, .museum, and .coop will be coming soon!

Last Updated 03/10/08>