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History: Internet Resources

Electronic Texts

Evaluating Online Information

There is a huge amount of information on the internet, of variable quality. 

Here are a few brief things to check:

Authority

  • Who is responsible for the page/site?
  • Is it a reliable organisation (eg a well known university) or a subject expert?
  • Is the URL a standard one eg .gov.uk, ac.uk. org?
  • Can you trust this site?

Accuracy and reliability

  • Is the information correct?
  • Are the grammar and spelling correct?
  • Is information impartial, or are the authors giving one point of view?
  • Do the authors have their own agenda eg web pages of political organisations?
  • Is the information on the website fact or opinion?

Currency

  • Can you tell how up-to-date it is? Are there dates on the page?
  • Is there evidence that it is regularly updated?
  • Old information may be incorrect unless you are looking for historical context so beware.

Audience / relevance

  • Is the information of the right level to be quoted in your work? If it is aimed at the general public or school children it might not be.

Feel

  • Is the site well structured and easy to navigate?
  • Are any external links from the page up-to-date and valid?
  • If it is well designed and maintained then you can feel more confident about the information it provides
  • Do the authors cite their sources or provide any other information that makes the site feel authoritative?
  • Are there contact details for the organisation or authors?

Ireland

 

Examples of  information available from the above listed Internet Resources:

Anglo-Irish Agreement. 1995.    (CAIN Web Service).
The Belfast Agreement (Good Friday Agreement) 1998 (CAIN Web Service)
Bunreacht na hÉireann / Constitution of Ireland. (Citizens Information)
Dáil Éireann elections ( from the Northern Ireland Elections website).
Government of Ireland Act 1920. (British and Irish Legal Information Institute).
The Irish Famine  (University of Maryland links).
Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006 (CAIN Web Service)
Northern Ireland House of Commons, 1921-72 including election details (Northern Ireland Elections website).
The Police Museum.  (Police Service of Northern Ireland website).
Prehistoric Music and Instruments (Irish Archaeology on the Internet)
Sources in the National Archives for research into the transportation of Irish convicts to Australia 1791-1853.  (National Archives of Ireland).
A View of the Present State of Ireland by Edmund Spenser University of Oregon

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