The Web is an amazing resource and can provide a tremendous amount of information on almost any subject and so seems a natural place to go for historical research. The problem is, most sites out there are not reviewed in the same way other scholarly sources are. For example, before a scholarly journal publishes an article it sends it out for review to at least two other historians to check research for accuracy and make sure it is intellectually sound. However anyone can make a website and put anything they want on it without anyone verifying its accuracy.

So how do you evaluate what is a good source and what isn't? Basically the same way you evaluate any source, by checking where it came from and what their credentials are. There are a few general guidelines such as anything with an "edu" domain is more likely to be scholarly than a dot com; but students can produce websites that are no more accurate than Billy Bob's web page (and some professors require them to create websites for assignments so you might be accessing a website that received a "D" for a grade). So the best thing is to look at the amount and quality of the information as well as the source and evaluate each site individually. If in doubt, ask me to check out the site to approve it as a reliable source.

To save you all some time I have attached a list of approved websites that may help you choose a research topic. You do not have to use internet sources, but if there are some primary sources you can use that you can't find elsewhere then it can't hurt. I advise you to start with the general links, they are all pretty cool and can give you sites for an even larger variety of topics.

Click here for WEBSITES FOR GILDED AGE AND PROGRESSIVE ERA

Click here for WEBSITES FOR NEW ERA, NEW DEAL, AND WORLD WAR II

Click here for WEBSITES FOR AMERICA IN THE 1960s
 
 

MORE TO FOLLOW, STAY TUNED!!!

Return to Jackie Moore's home page