Is the creator knowledgeable or qualified enough to provide this information?
Is the author well-known in his field, and what is his reputation? What are her credentials (education, experience, etc.) and affiliations (universities, professional organizations, etc.)?
For example, compare the following (fictional) digital archives:
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Title: Chinggis Khan Digital Archives Creator: National Library of Mongolia |
Title: Virtual History of Ghengis Khan Creator: John Doe, accountant and history enthusiast |
Is the content provided without bias or ulterior motive?
Websites in general are created for many different purposes: to inform, to entertain, to sell, to persuade, and so forth.
For example, consider the following (fictional) digital archives:
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Title: The Virtual Holocaust Museum Creator: The Holocaust Museum of Houston Content: Images and artifacts from the Holocaust in World War II Europe |
Title: Did the Holocaust Happen? Creator: Holocaust Research Inc. Content: Images and documents arranged as evidence throughout an essay which argues that the Holocaust did not really occur as a premeditated act. |
If you were evaluating these two sites as possible sources for a research paper, what you need to learn to recognize is the presence of bias, that is, an attempt to convince you of a certain opinion.
Persuasive arguments may have their place, but not in credible digital archives, which should be seeking to provide historical artifacts without commentary: letting the past "speak for itself," if you will.
Basic understanding and familiarity with top-level domains (TLDs) can be very helpful when evaluating an online resources:
| .com | commercial | Open domain, anyone can register. Generally associated with for-profit businesses, the .com domain is often used as a default domain for many different kinds of entities, organizations, or individuals. |
| .org | organization | Open domain, anyone can register. Often used by non-profit organizations and non-governmental organizations. |
| .net | network | Open domain, anyone can register. |
| .edu | education | Limited to higher educational institutions such as, but not limited to, trade schools and universities. |
| .gov | government | Limited to United States governmental entities and agencies as well as qualifying state, county and local municipal government agencies, and tribal governments. |
| .ac (second level domain) | academia | Used in many countries as a second-level domain for academic institutions such as universities, colleges, and research institutes. Generally paired with the top-level country domain, such as ac.uk in the United Kingdom or ac.jp in Japan. |
Occasionally, a legitimate site might require the use of advertising to fund the existence of the site, especially if a collection is not affiliated with a major university or government agency. For the most part, however, you should be cautious about digital collections that contain advertising. You should especially be careful if the collection seems to have been provided in order to convince you to purchase a (separate) product or service.
Note: This does not necessarily apply to digital archives who require a subscription fee in order to access the collection.
Finally, don't overlook the question
It may be a high-quality collection from a highly reputable source, but if it doesn't have the content you need, then it is not the right archive (this time).
Be sure you take time to perform a variety of searches in the collection, browse through the items, and even dive in and read excerpts from longer items like letters and diaries. This will help you to establish whether there is a significant body of content which can inform your work.
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