However, one must be cautious with the validity of some websites. As I learned in my recent classes for my librarian degree, not all websites are created equal. Anyone can publish anything online – there are no factual requirements or checks and no editors.

The following list is adapted from a handout the library at the College of St. Catherine has available at its reference desk. Most colleges & universities have similar handouts available to help educate their students. Of course, this information is not just applicable for research here at AncientWorlds. It is valid for all online research.

1. Author/Publisher - Is the name of the author or organization who published the website found somewhere on the site? Is this name recognized and respected in the field? When in doubt, government agencies, universities & colleges, & professional organizations are usually very accurate, up-to-date & unbiased.
2. Point of View - Sometimes websites are used as propaganda to publicize an individual or group’s views. Does the site you are using have a stated purpose? What are the author’s goals for publishing this information?
3. Accuracy - Can you verify the information that you find on the site? Do other sources agree or disagree with the findings? Is there a bibliography? Is the webpage linked to by other pages that you know and trust? (You can find out who links to a given page by doing a Google search. The query link:siteURL shows you pages that point to that URL. example - link:www.ancientworlds.net )
4. Currency - Is the information the most recent available? Does the site have a creation or last updated date?
5. Appropriateness - The category doesn’t matter as much to me (at least for my AncientWorlds research), but for some people it might. Is the web the best place to find information on your topic? Would more traditional sources (books, magazines, journals, etc.) do a better job?

These points are what I follow when trying to find out historical data for my RolePlaying (and, to be honest, all my activity) here at AW. In this way, I do the best job I can to help create an accurate and well-established framework for my posts.

Next Month: Okay, I've got my persona researched...now what?!