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Start Your Research: Research Tools

JIBC Student Research Skills

Tools and Resources

Use the Assignment Calculator to receive email tips and set-up reminders!

Step 1: Understand your assignment

Step 2: Select and focus topic

Step 3: Write working thesis

Step 4: Find sources (books, articles, websites)

Step 5: Read, review, and evaluate your sources

Step 6: Write 1st draft

Step 7: Revise & rewrite

Step 8: Put paper in final form

Unless otherwise indicated resources are from the JIBC Library.

Because anyone can publish anything on the internet, it is very important to determine that the information you have found on a website comes from a reliable and authoritative source. So, how do you evaluate a website?

Ask yourself these questions when you are evaluating a website. Your answers will help you decide if the site appears to be a reliable source of information. In addition, we have provided a number of links to excellent guides for website evaluation. 

  Authority
  Content
  • Is the author/producer easy to identify?
  • Are the author’s credentials listed? 
  • Is the author’s affiliation easy to determine (e.g. university, government)
  • Are there errors or discrepancies on the site?  
  • Is the content appropriate for your needs?
  • Is there sufficient coverage of the topic?
  Currency   Objectivity
  • Can you find the date that the site was created?
  • Was the site updated recently?
  • Do the links on the site work?
  • Is the information factual or opinion?
  • Is the site trying to sell something that seems too good to be true?  
  • Is the information consistent with other sources you’ve found?
  • Is the source of the information provided?