NSCI 505 - Research Design

You may be able to use websites, including blogs, podcasts, and streaming video for some of your assignments. For many environmental topics, the best websites to use are government and professional organizational websites. (Government websites have a .gov domain and most organization websites have a .org domain.) Often, research conducted by government bodies (for example, Fish & Wildlife Service; Bureau of Land Management; Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) and professional organizations or NGOs (non-governmental organizations) — such as Environmental Defense Fund, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Nature Conservancy — is either posted or mentioned on their websites.

Don't disregard .com and other website domains. Just realize that it may be more difficult to evaluate them. See the box below for things to look for when evaluating websites (or any other source material you find).

Possibly the best way to find government and organization websites about your topic is to do a Google search. Type your topic in the search box, followed by "site:.gov" or "site:.org". Here is an example of what you would type in the search box to find government websites about the Colorado River Compact:

"Colorado River Compact" site:.gov

No matter what resource you use for an assignment (book, journal article, podcast, documentary film, etc.), you should always evaluate the source. Because anyone can create a website, it is especially important to evaluate websites (including blogs, podcasts, etc.).

• Credibility — Who is the author? What are the author's credentials? If the author's credentials aren't given on the website, that's a reason for concern.
• Purpose — What is the author's agenda or bias? Is coverage of the issue balanced (i.e., are two or more sided of the issue discussed)? If not, can you find other websites that present an opposing view? Is the author trying to inform? Entertain? Persuade?
• Be wary of the site's domain or URL. As stated above, government sites usually have a .gov domain and professional societies usually use .org. URLs with other domains, such as .com, can include excellent information, but are also easier for anyone to post on (see next bullet point).
• Accuracy — Beware of hoax sites like Dihydrogen monoxide, North Shore Visitor whale sightings, or Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Some  sites may look much more professional than these examples, but are just as inaccurate or misleading.
• Medium — Sometimes you will find what looks like a journal article posted on a university professor's or researchers personal website. You should always look to see if this was published in a research journal. The article might seem great, but you should ask yourself why this article is posted on a website instead of published in a journal. One reason could be that no journal would publish the article because it wouldn't pass peer review. Use an article like this with caution.

If you aren't familiar with an organization, don't just take their website's word that they are the experts! Check out the organization by searching for what others say about them. (This is called lateral reading.) The organization's name might mask that they are funded by a biased organization and that the name implies something totally different than what you expected.