Websites - HIST 1301 - Larimore - LibGuides at Austin Community College

Evaluating Websites

How can you tell if a web site is trustworthy or not? It's not always easy, but there are things that you can look for that will help you decide.

What organization runs the site? Is it a library, archive, or museum? Does the url end with a .edu or .gov or .org domain.
Is the full text of the primary resource you are interested in available? Many sites only have the citation/bibliographic information/metadata, and do not offer a full text version of the source.
If a relevant primary source is available in full text, is a complete citation provided?

Founders Online
From the U.S. National Archives: CORRESPONDENCE AND OTHER WRITINGS OF SEVEN MAJOR SHAPERS OF THE UNITED STATES:
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams (and family), Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. Over 184,000 searchable documents, fully annotated, from the authoritative Founding Fathers Papers projects.
Yale University: The Avalon Project
The Barbary Treaties 1786-1816
Treaty of Peace and Amity, Signed at Tripoli June 4, 1805
The Jefferson Monticello
A guide for excellent online collections of Jefferson's writings and manuscripts.
Marine Corps University Research Library
The following digital copies of original correspondence and journals were written in the time periods surrounding the Barbary Wars and the Battle of Tripoli.

Need more help finding information on the Internet and interpreting the results? See our study guide.

Contact:

Faculty Librarian/Associate Professor
Northridge Campus Library Rm 1220.1
11928 Stonehollow Dr.
Austin, TX 78758
jeremy.donald@austincc.edu

512-223-4742