Finding Reliable Websites
How do you know what information online is trustworthy? Do what fact checkers do, and use Lateral Reading.
Open a new tab in your browser.
Search the name of the unfamiliar source.
Check what trustworthy sites say about it.
If the source seems untrustworthy, don't waste your time on it. Find a better source.
from Lateral Reading Poster developed by Civic Online Reasoning & Stanford History Education Group
Using Websites
Before using a Web site for your academic research, you must evaluate it. Does it pass the CRAAP test?
Currency: Is the site up-to-date and edited regularly?
Relevancy: Who is the intended audience for this information and is the information unique?
Authority: Who is the author and what are his or her credentials? Is there contact information? Is it a company/organization/university?
Accuracy: Where does this information come from? Are there sources listed? Are there typos or spelling or grammar errors?
Purpose: Why was this site created? Is it intending to sell a product? What is the domain name (.edu, .gov, .com, .org)?
After considering all of the above measurements, you will have a good idea whether or not a site is valuable to your academic research.
General Education Websites
- Annenberg Learner: Classroom resources and professional development across the curriculumOffers a range of teacher professional development and instructional programs, many of which are free, including lessons with interactive elements.
- EDSITEmentFrom the National Endowment for the Humanities, a collection of lesson plans, activities, and resources to promote humanities in the classroom.
- Education WeekOnline magazine offers articles, news, videos, and blog posts about everything in K-12 education, including professional development and job opportunities, technology, and innovation.
- Education WorldLesson plans, research materials, information on how to integrate technology in the classroom, articles written by education experts, web site reviews, and employment listings.
- Educators for ExcellenceFind current blog posts and news releases concerning teachers nationwide, and check out events for this advocacy group.
- EdutopiaExplore videos and blog posts that showcase evidence-based learning practices in preK-12 schools
- National Center for Education StatisticsAccess data about U.S. education such as reports and papers that include indicators of education status and trends in addition to timely, useful, and high quality data.
- National Education AssociationNEA resources cover pre-school to university graduate programs. Find tools and ideas for teachers, advocacy information, and grants and events.
- Open Education GlobalNews, spotlights, and resources for Open Education Resources (OER) from a global OER advocacy group.
- PBS LearningMediaFind classroom instructional resources listed by grade level and then topic. Teachers can also access professional development materials on this PBS site.
- TED-Ed: Lessons Worth SharingCarefully curated educational videos. This platform also allows users to take any useful educational video, not just TED’s, and easily create a customized lesson around the video.
- U.S. Department of EducationAccess research such as data and statistics, publications and reports, and best practices about all levels of education in the United States.
Higher Education Websites
- eCampus NewsTechnology news for those within higher education (students, instructors, staff). Informative and cutting-edge source for how technology impacts college and university life.
- EDUCAUSEA nonprofit association and community of IT leaders and professionals committed to advancing higher education. Access research and scholarly publications about all aspects of higher ed.
- Higher Education Research InstituteInterdisciplinary center for research, evaluation, information, policy studies, and research training in postsecondary education from UCLA.
- Institute for Higher Education PolicyTimely and unbiased information authored by some of the world’s most highly acclaimed authorities of higher education. Access research projects and IHEP publications about different aspects of postsecondary education.