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Internet sites for History
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Evaluating Internet Resources
Anybody can publish any type of information on the Web! Always think carefully about using web-based information - for example in an essay or dissertation - unless you believe it is from a quality source of information. Most of the information which is provided in legal articles or bibliographic databases, e.g. Historical Abstracts, is reliable, as it has been though the 'peer-review' system. This means that the article has been reviewed by experts in the subject field before publication in a journal.
Most importantly, it will show you that you should consider the following points:
- Accuracy - is the information correct? Can it be verified from other sources?
- Authority- who is writing it? Is the producing institution reputable?
- Objectivity - what point of view is it promoting? Is it biased in some way?
- Currency - is there a date of publication/updating? Are links updated regularly?
- Coverage - does it cover what you need to know?
- Contact - is there an email or other address for further information?
Useful webskills websites
- Safari Skills Tutorial (Open University) - use Guest access, see section 5- Evaluating information
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (or why it's a good idea to Evaluate Web sources) - from New Mexico State University Library
- Internet for Historians - A free, "teach yourself" tutorial that lets you practise your Internet Information Skills relating to History
- TONIC - an online interactive course to teach yourself evaluation skills, it is free of charge but does require registration
Internet sites for History
Please note :This list represents only a tiny fraction of what is available and concentrates on sites of general importance. For specific topics, feel free to contact me directly.
- American Memory - one of the best web sites for American history, offering a gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections
- Avalon Project - offers access to a wealth of primary source materials in the fields of History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government.
- Eurodocs - : contains a wide range of primary source materials available online that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated
- Historical Text Archive - publishes high quality articles, books, essays, documents, historical photos, and links, screened for content, for a broad range of historical subjects
- History Cooperative - offers access to a range of resources, including journal articles, conference proceedings and links to websites containing primary source materials
- History Online - available from the Institute of Historical Research, this site includes the Royal Historical Society Bibliography, as well as allowing you to search and browse for websites of proven academic value.
- Internet History Source Books Project - a collection of public domain and copy-permitted primary source materials, with sections for medieval and modern history, as well as sections on a number of specialist topics eg Byzantium, Saints, Lesbian/Gay History etc
- Intute - this service aims to provide access to the very best Web resources for education and research. It is operated by a network of UK universities and partners, and uses Subject specialists to select and evaluate the websites and write high quality descriptions of the resources. The database can be browsed or searched, and contains a wealth of both primary and secondary resources for historical research, all of proven academic worth
- Librarian's Index to the Internet (History) - provides a well-organized point of access for reliable, trustworthy Internet resources, which covers all historical periods, and which can be searched or browsed
- The World Wide Web Virtual Library (History catalogue) - aims to act as a catalogue to high quality web resources. Can be searched or browsed by topic, area or era.