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Using Google for Research

This guide will help students take advantage of Google tips and techniques to find the best websites, as well as how to evaluate websites for academic purposes.

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Deciphering a web address or URL

The Prezi, Deciphering a web address, can help you to understand more about a website based solely on its URL. The PDF below also dissects URLs: 

Domain name evaluation

The following chart from Neumann University library is a useful guide for understanding the differences between top-level domains.

What's in a Domain?

Domains are the naming system of the internet. Each website has a name chosen by the website creator and that name is followed by a Top-Level Domain, such as '.com', '.org', or '.edu'. Understanding what these Top-Level Domains mean can help you evaluate websites.

Top Level Domain

Description

Example

Evaluating Tips

.com

Generic, commercial site

www.yahoo.com

www.amazon.com

Anyone can create a .com site. You must carefully apply the criteria to these sites to determine if they are trustworthy and accurate.

.edu

Education site, almost exclusively higher education

www.neumann.edu

www.harvard.edu

Since .edu is limited to higher education institutions that meet accreditation standards, the information is generally trustworthy.

.gov

Government site

www.whitehouse.gov

www.healthcare.gov

Limited to use by United States government entities and agencies. The information is generally trustworthy.

.mil

Military site

www.army.mil

www.navy.mil

 

Limited to use by the United States military. The information is generally trustworthy.

.net

Generic, commercial site

www.php.net

www.authorize.net

 

Anyone can create a .net site. You must carefully apply the criteria to these sites to determine if they are trustworthy and accurate.

.org

Non-profit site

www.pbs.org

www.greenpeace.org

Anyone can create a .org site. While they are non-profit websites, that does not mean they are accurate or unbiased. Carefully apply the website evaluation criteria to determine if they are trustworthy and accurate.