The quality of the information you find on the Web varies tremendously so it is always a good idea to check the information against another source. As with all information resources, whether in print or on the Internet, you evaluate its quality based on the following criteria:
That's just the basics. Learn more!
Tutorials on Evaluation Criteria
CRAAP Test (CSU Chico)
Search engines, like Google and Bing, give you access to everything that is one the web--the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you want to narrow your search results to resources that are generally more reliable, use the advanced search feature for the search engine. Using the advanced search feature, you can generally designate which types of websites you want to limit your search to by specifying the domain(s) (website extensions) you'd like to search. For example, the domains of .gov or .edu.
Google Advanced Search - Information on educational and governmental websites tend to have more reliable information.
In the advance search, along with your search terms, enter .edu or .gov in the box labeled "Search within a site or domain:".
Here are just a few websites that can be helpful for your research. More websites are on the way!
Eighteenth-Century Resources - collection of resources on the Internet related to the eighteenth century, including "...information on literature, history, art, music, religion, economics, philosophy, and so on, from around the world"
Eighteenth-Century Studies Journal - publication of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, "the best of current writing on all aspects of eighteenth-centry culture" which is indexed but not offered in full text in Academic Search Elite.
Jane Austen Centre in Bath, England - "a new permanent exhibition which tells the story of Jane's Bath experience - the effect that living here had on her and her writing... The city is still very much as Jane Austen knew it, preserving in its streets, public buildings and townscapes the elegant well-ordered world that she portrays so brilliantly in her novels. Now the pleasure of exploring Jane Austen's Bath can be enhanced by visiting the Jane Austen Centre in Gay Street. Here, in a Georgian town house in the heart of the city, the visitor can find out more about Bath in Jane Austen's time and the importance of Bath in her life and work."
Museum of Costume, Bath - "focuses on fashionable dress for men, women and children from the late 16th century to the present day." Also includes information about the history of the 18th century Assembly Rooms. Available in English and French.
Proceedings of the Old Bailey - "fully searchable online edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing accounts of over 100,000 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court"
Regency Fashion History - 1800's Costume History by Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com
Republic of Pemberley (RoP) - offers information on Jane Austen's writings and movie adaptations from her novels and contains the Jane Austen Information Page which includes texts of her novels, biographical information, sites with photographs and copies of artwork, as well as excerpts from the Austen-L mailing list on various topics from her writings
Snow, John - "This site is devoted to the life and times of Dr. John Snow (1813-1858), a legendary figure in the history of public health, epidemiology and anesthesiology." Includes maps of the 1854 London cholera outbreak and Snow's observations on the outbreaks in Victorian London. Offers other theories of cholera transmission and present-day reports of cholera
Victorian Architecture - a collection of information about Victorian architecture, including illustrations, links, and discussions on styles, such as Italianate, Gothic Revival, Shingle, Romanesque, and Queen Anne, etc.
Victorian Web - links to political and social history, gender matters, philosophy, religion, science, technology, theater and popular entertainment, economic contexts, visual arts, and more from the Victorian era