Question

Which of the following might be considered a valid source for online research? Select all that apply.
(2 points)
• the National Archives
O a weblog of a guy who describes himself as a "history nerd"
O a Wikipedia article
«I a weblog of a college history professor about her area of specialty
• a .org website that was last updated in 2008
• a .com website with its own online store
a gov website
a website with claims that you can't verify at another source

Answer 1

Valid choices (might be acceptable sources):
- the National Archives
- a weblog of a college history professor about her area of specialty
- a .gov website
- a .org website that was last updated in 2008 (possible, but check currency and authority)

Not recommended as reliable by themselves:
- a weblog of a guy who describes himself as a "history nerd"
- a Wikipedia article (useful as a starting point, but not usually accepted as a citable scholarly source)
- a .com website with its own online store (potential commercial bias)
- a website with claims you can't verify at another source

Always evaluate authority, accuracy, currency, purpose/bias, and verifiability before using an online source.