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LIBRARY

Located in the Student Achievement Center on the Youngwood Campus

How Did You Find the Article, Website, or Image?

  • Did an instructor or another reliable source recommend it?
  • Did you find it by using a search engine like Google or did you get it from a Library database?
  • Library Databases vs. the Internet
  • Was it cited in a scholarly or credible source?
  • Was it a link from a reputable website?

C.A.R.S. Checklist for Evaluating Sources

Videos: Navigating Digital Information

Evaluating Websites

Lateral reading: doing a quick initial evaluation of a website by spending a little time on the website and more time reading what others say about it. Sometimes you can find out more about a website by leaving the site itself.

Click restraint: don’t immediately click on the first search results.
Scan a search results page and look at things like the title, source description, and featured sections, before deciding what sources to examine. 

The short video below is from the Stanford History Education Group and illustrates the importance of click restraint and why you shouldn’t assume that the first search results are necessarily the most reliable or relevant ones. 

The next video explains why lateral reading is important.

The next video is about investigating a source.

More About Evaluating What You Read or See

Common Logical Fallacies
Keep these in mind when reading, writing, or listening.

Evaluating Info Found in Google

How to Find the Publication Date of a Website

If you are unsure of the source of an image or have doubts about its authenticity, use a reverse image tool like TinEye, FotoForensics, or Google Images (click on the camera icon).

Domain Suffix

Commercial site. The information provided by commercial interests is generally going to shed a positive light on the product it promotes. While this information might not necessarily be false, you might be getting only part of the picture. Remember, there's a monetary incentive behind every commercial site in providing you with information, whether it is for good public relations or to sell you a product outright.

Educational institution. Sites using this domain name are schools ranging from kindergarten to higher education. Information from sites within this domain must be examined very carefully. If it is from a department or research center at an educational institution, it can generally be taken as credible. However, students' personal sites are not usually monitored by the school even though they are on the school's server and use the .edu domain.

Government. State or federal government site. Information such as Census statistics, Congressional hearings, and Supreme Court rulings would be included in sites with this domain. The information is usually considered to be from a credible source, but you should still try to verify it with sources outside of the government.

Traditionally a non-profit organization. Organizations such as the American Red Cross or PBS (Public Broadcasting System) use this domain suffix. Generally, the information in these types of sites is credible and unbiased, but there are examples of organizations that strongly advocate specific points of view over others, such as National Right to Life and Planned Parenthood.

Military. This domain suffix is used by the various branches of the Armed Forces of the United States.

Network. You might find any kind of site under this domain suffix. It acts as a catch-all for sites that don't fit into any of the preceding domain suffixes. Information from these sites should be given careful scrutiny.

Westmoreland County Community College Library - Student Achievement Center, 145 Pavilion Lane, Youngwood, PA 15697
Phone: 724-925-4100 | Library Hours | D2L | FAQs