Psychology & Mental Health

When evaluating websites and other online resources for your assignments, consider the following to determine if they are appropriate for college-level research:

Who?

• Who is the author?
• Does the author have any qualifications? Are they clearly stated?
• Is the author separate from the "webmaster"?
• Can the author be contacted for clarification?

What?

• What is the purpose of this source?
• What topics are covered?
• What goals/objectives does this resource meet?
• What opinions are expressed?
• What is the context in which the information is provided?

When?

• When was this site created?
• When was it last updated?
• Is the timeliness of this source appropriate for your research? For health-related research, it's generally recommended to find sources that are no more than 5 years old.

Where?

• Where did the writers obtain their information? Are citations included?
• What institution published this? Are they reputable?
• Where can I verify this information?

Why?

• Why is this information useful?
• Why is this page better than other pages on this topic?