Website Addresses:

What does ".com," ".gov," ".edu," ".org," ".net" ".uk," ".ru" stuff mean?

Approach information from the Web that you use to support your ideas and arguments in a research paper or other assignment, carefully.

Comparison: Library Sources vs. Web Sources

Library Resources - Academic and Public Libraries

• are evaluated and chosen by experienced librarians
• credible, quality information is available for FREE with a student ID or library card
• two ways to use a campus or public library
  • in-person libraries have print and other "physical" materials, study spaces, including staff help
  • online libraries have electronic or digital materials and online help like Chat or Ask-a-Librarian

Web Resources - Websites, Social Media

• no evaluative process
• no restrictions or review processes for publishing information 
  • anyone can create a web page and has access to a hosting computer
  • anyone can publish anything
    • opinion, satire, hoaxes, or just plain false information.

Key Definitions

• URL (Universal Locator Resource) - the "address" for a unique website or resource on the web.
  • URLs are used to find a specific webpage.
    • Example: https://westerntc.libguides.com/FakeNews/EvaluatingWebInfo
• Domain - the name of the website
  • westerntc.libguides
• Domain suffix - the last part of the domain name
  • Example:.com

Users of the web need to be both wary and smart.

• Look at the URL (the website's "address") for clues 
  • The web address or (URL) for Western Technical College Library is https://www.westerntc.edu/library-services.
  • The domain suffix (.edu) tells you the address is an educational website, like a department or research center at an educational institution, whose purpose is to educate and inform.
  • However, students may create personal web sites on the school's server and use the .edu domain. These are usually not monitored by the school.

• The domain suffix .com tells you the address belongs to a commercial website.
  • The purpose of a .com website varies: 
    • Amazon.com - purpose is to sell you a product
    • Trane.com - purpose is to promote the product it manufactures and sells. T
    • This LibGuide (westerntc.libguides.com/FakeNews) - purpose is to educate 
  • Apply the S.I.F.T. or CRAAP Method to evaluate the credibility of a .com website.
• The domain suffix .gov tells you the website represents state or federal government 
  • State Government (https://www.wisconsin.gov) 
  • Federal Government websites (https://www.usa.gov)  
• The domain suffix .org tells you you are looking at a specific organization
  • City Governments (https://www.cityoflacrosse.org/) and County Governments (https://www.lacrossecounty.org/) governments tend to use the .org domain suffix
  • Non-profit organizations like the American Red Cross (https://www.redcross.org/) and PBS (https://www.pbs.org/) also use .org (organization).
    •  information is credible and unbiased,
  • Some organizations are represented VERY specific points of views and are not meant to be unbiased or objective.
    • National Right to Life Committee (https://www.nrlc.org/) 
    • Planned Parenthood (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/).
    • If you use these websites as a research source, acknowledge the information represents one point of view on a topic

• Mixed domain sites
  •  U.S. Department of Defense (https://www.defense.gov), a governmental organization uses the .gov domain suffix
    • DoD's military organizations use the .mil (military) domain suffix, a top-level domain.
      • Army (https://www.hrc.army.mil/)
      • Navy (https://www.navy.mil/),
      • Air Force (https://www.af.mil/)
      • Marines (https://www.marines.mil/), etc. -
      • Recruitment websites and other second-level domain entities often use the .com domain suffix
      • Military academies will use .edu.

• Be cautious with websites with the .net domain suffix. Once upon a time .net (network) was considered a top-level domain suffix, but has since become a catch-all for websites not easily classified under the other domains, although Some networks and advertising sites still use it.
  • Be cautious! Apply the S.I.F.T. or CRAAP Method to evaluate the credibility of a .net website.

• A domain suffix might also give you a clue about the geographic origin of a website. Many sites from the United Kingdom will have a domain suffix of .uk., for example Amazon.co.uk.