Research Guides: Education: Web Resources

Evaluating Sources

Are the sources you use credible and useful, accurate, and reliable?

It is your responsibility to evaluate information sources.

Three factors to look at include: authority, scope, and accuracy.

This video is from the North Carolina University Libraries and is used under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.

Look at the URL and determine the type of domain (.com; .edu; .gov; .org).
Identify who created the site; this information may or may not be listed on the website.
Find the author's or publisher's credentials; this information may or may not be listed on the website. On many websites, the section titled "About Us" will provide this information.

Consider the purpose of the site.
Find out when the site was created and how frequently it's updated. Check to see when it was last updated. Older information may or may not be useful to you.
Determine if the website provides unbiased information and/or covers more than one side of the topic.

National Center for Education Statistics
EdStats: Educational Statistics
From The World Bank - source for key topics in education such as access, learning, expenditures and equity at international level.
U.S. Department of Education
National Education Policy Center
NEPC sponsors research, produces policy briefs, and publishes expert third-party reviews of think tank reports. The Center’s publications are written in accessible language and are intended for a broad audience that includes academic experts, policy makers, the media, and the general public.
Virginia Department of Education VDOE
Virginia state government agencies – including VDOE – develop and implement Strategic Plans for the agency, relevant programs and service areas and identify Performance Measures to track progress in achieving the strategic plan objectives. Specific information regarding VDOE’s budget, performance measures, objectives and how progress is being made against those measures is available through Virginia Performs’ VDOE reports.