ENGL 1302 - Composition II (Gloria Estrada): Websites

General

PollingReport.com
Choose a subject heading or use the site Search engine to find national public opinion polls on hot topics

ProCon.org
Pros and cons of controversial issues 

If you don't find what you need on one of the websites provided, try using google.

Go to www.google.com/advanced_search

• Enter your keywords in the search box all these words:   or
  
• type a phrase in the search box this exact word or phrase:
  
• You can also narrow your results by...
• site or domain:
• Enter .gov .edu .org or .mil to help you find reputable websites.
• file type:
• select from the pull down menu, i.e. Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt) or Adobe Acrobat PDF (.pdf)
• usage rights:
•    select from the pull down menu, i.e. not filtered by license, free to use or share, etc.

The Internet has a lot of great resources.  It is important, however, to evaluate the website to make sure it has reliable information before using it in your paper.

Author 

Who is the author of the website?  Do they have a degree in the topic they are writing about?  Who are they affiliated with?  

(Look for author name, “about us,” “who we are,” etc… for this information)

Date

How old is the information?  Has it been updated recently? (Look for the publication date)

Bias

Is the information biased?  Are they taking a side of the issue and trying to push their opinion or trying to sell you something?  Is it fact or opinion?  It is important to use unbiased sources for informational papers. 

Coverage

Is the topic fully covered? What is the purpose of the webpage?  Did they author state where they got the information?

Lastly, do not use Wikipedia as a source for your academic papers.  Most instructors will not allow it to be used because it is not always accurate and may not have reputable authors.