Following “.gov” and “.mil” sites, university sites are among the most trusted. Academia is a fiercely competitive profession. Research that includes questionable or inaccurate data is challenged quickly and loudly. The contents of peer-reviewed journals are representative of the best research in a particular field. Keep in mind however, when using “.edu” sites that they can also be the personal pages of students and staff members. In that case, the credibility of a site's content diminishes.
Not-for-profit groups or special interest groups, indicated by “.org” or “.net” domains, publish quite a bit of data online. Identification is usually made clear on the site, along with contact information. Of course, these organizations have an agenda, and usually that's immediately clear.
Commercial or “.com” sites are thought to be the least trustworthy. They're not necessarily “bad,” but they require more careful consideration. A personal Web page has no authority or oversight to vouch for the content, for example. An individual's Web page can often be identified by the URL, which may contain a personal name, a tilde ˜ or percentage sign. If the name of a commercial ISP or Web hosting service appears in the URL, it may be a personal Web page (as in www.barbarafriedman.aol.com ).
©2011 Questia Media, Inc.
For further information related to domains, go to:
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which is responsible for the global coordination of the DNS Root, IP addressing, and other Internet protocol resources: http://www.iana.org/
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FOOTnotes and references
(1) Located in downtown Chicago, Questia is an online research and paper writing resource. Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning.
www.questia.com
(2) ISPI San Bartolomé ICT Lecturer
(3) Publication Information: Book Title: Web Search Savvy: Strategies and Shortcuts for Online Research. Contributors: Barbara G. Friedman - author. Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Place of Publication: Mahwah, NJ. Publication Year: 2005. Page Number: 158.
(4) “United States Toughens Image with Umlauts, ” The Onion (29 April 1997), www.theonion.com.
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