LibGuides: History: Find Websites

Websites

Use websites to find valuable evidence from authoritative resources like academic institutions, the government, other research bodies, or non-profits.

Websites have a wealth of information, but not websites are reputable or have legitimate information. If you are using the information found on the web, you must evaluate the information before using it. One way to evaluate information is with the CRAAP Test.

When you find information, evaluate it with the CRAAP Test. The CRAAP Test is a series of questions to help researchers decide if the information they have found meets the criteria of currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose.

This is not a checklist of criteria but a way of asking yourself critical thinking questions about a source to make a decision about the site's credibility.

C: Currency
How recently has the website been updated? Is a date even included? Is the material current enough for your topic? Is it up-to-date?

R: Relevance
Is this about my topic? Is it written at the right level? Who is the audience?

A: Authority
Who is the creator/author? What are their credentials? How is the research funded? Who is the publisher? Is the publisher/author reputable?

A: Accuracy
Where does the information come from? Are the claims supported by evidence?

P: Purpose
Why was this written/created? Is the information fact or opinion? Is it biased? Is the author trying to sell you something?

Pro Tips:

Ask
- Who is telling me this?
- How do they know it?
- What's in it for them?
Don't be fooled by .org, while .orgs are fairly reliable, some are not.
Use .gov and .edu websites when you can

Watch this video for more information on the CRAAP Test

CRAAP Test

Recommended Websites

African Women's Bibliographic Database
Indexes books and government documents; articles appearing in edited books; periodical and journal articles; Masters theses and Ph.D. dissertations as well as a few B.A. theses and honors papers; conference papers; and videocassettes. The database is the outgrowth of a three volume work published in 1989 by Greenwood Press that indexed materials on African Women published during the International Women’s Decade, 1975-1985. In 1999 the database added hyperlinked documents from the Internet. The database indexes everything the compiler can find published in English about African women.
American Women
A gateway to the Library of Congress Resources for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States.
Equal Rights Advocates
Equal Rights Advocates fights for gender justice in workplaces and schools across the country. Since 1974, we’ve been fighting on the front lines of social justice to protect and advance rights and opportunities for women, girls, and people of all gender identities through groundbreaking legal cases and bold legislation that sets the stage for the rest of the nation
Feminist Theory Website
The Feminist Theory Website provides research materials and information for students, activists, and scholars interested in women's conditions and struggles around the world.
GLAAD
GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love.
Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR)
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that engages in research and dissemination to shape public policy and improve the lives and opportunities of women from diverse backgrounds.
LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide (Library of Congress)
This guide offers an introduction to the LGBTQIA+ collections of the Library of Congress. The Library collects at the research level in the area of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) studies. Library holdings are particularly strong in LGBTQIA+ politics, history, literature and the performing arts.
National Women's History Alliance
The National Women’s History Alliance formerly, the National Women’s History Project, is a leader in promoting Women’s History and is committed to the goals of education, empowerment, equality, and inclusion.
Office on Women's Health (womenshealth.gov)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office on Women's Health (OWH) was established in 1991 to improve the health of U.S. women by advancing and coordinating a comprehensive women's health agenda.
WomanWatch (United Nations)
Womenwatch is the central gateway to information and resources on the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women throughout the United Nations system, including the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Secretariat, regional commissions, funds, programmes, specialized agencies, and academic and research institutions.
Women's Bureau (U.S. Dept. of Labor)
he Women's Bureau develops policies and standards and conducts inquiries to safeguard the interests of working women; to advocate for their equality and economic security for themselves and their families; and to promote quality work environments.
Women’s Studies Database (Univ. of Maryland)
The University of Maryland Women’s Studies Database, begun in September 1992, serves those people interested in the women’s studies profession and in general women’s issues.

Four Moves

Sometimes the CRAAP test falls short of determining if a source is truthful or not. To fact check, use the Four Moves and a Habit.

Plain text of infographic

Four Moves and A Habit Infographic

Mike Caufield is the author of Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers...and Other People Who Care About Facts. This is the key publication that introduced the "Four Moves and a Habit" process.

Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers

Should I be using Google or the Library resources for a paper?

Infographic Text

Four Moves and a Habit

Four Moves & a Habit - From Web Literacy for Student Fact Checkers

Information literacy is essential to navigating and participating in digital spaces. Use the four moves to help discern the truth when using the Web.

The Habit: Check Your Emotions
If you're having a strong emotional reaction, whether it's anger, frustration, or validation, take a moment and pause. At these times your critical perspective might be diminished when you should be fact-checking. Slow down and use your moves!

Move 1: Check for Previous Work
Many provocative claims on the Internet have already been fact-checked or researched. News coverage, trusted online sites, or fact-checking sites, such as Politifact or Snopes, may have a synthesis of the evidence readily available.

Move 2: Go Upstream to the Source
Check the embedded web links or perform a search to find the original or search for the source of the information.

Move 3: Read Laterally
Not all sources are created equal. If you are unsure about the quality of your source, read laterally across other trustworthy sites to find more information about the platform or author.

Move 4: Circle Back
Sometimes reading laterally will suggest that a source is not accurate, is more complex than you thought, or leads to a dead end. Stop and use what you have learned to being a better-informed search.

History