Anyone can publish anything on the web, so it's extremely important to evaluate the information you find there. Follow these links for guidelines on how to evaluate a site.

Keep in mind that anyone can publish a website--whether an expert on the subject or not. Ask these questions when evaluating websites:

1. Who created the webpage?

2. Is the person who created the webpage an expert on the subject?

3. Is the website current or outdated? Look for a date when the website was last revised.

4. Is the information factual or a hoax? If in doubt, use a search engine to find out more the website. If it is a hoax, chances are someone has written about it.

5. Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched or is it questionable and unsupported by evidence?

6. Does the website cover the subject in depth or does it give a general view?

Use the domain limiter when looking for websites from government or educational institutions.

Type your keywords followed by site:.gov for government websites or site:.edu for educational websites.

Example Search: 
Search on the phrase: autism site:.gov
Google will return results only from government websites with the .gov extension.

You can use the domain limiter in Google's basic search box.