Here are five criteria to consider:

• Determine if the source is up to date
• The publication date or date last updated should be displayed
• Consult at least one or two other sources yourself

• The information presented on the website should be factual and accurate
• Always question if the information was verified prior to being published
• Consult at least one or two other sources yourself

• Be sure to see if the author's credentials are specified and if not, research that person (you can usually google them). The same should be done for a publisher of a website.
• Ask yourself: Is this person an authority on this subject? If not, are they citing voices who have authority?
• Is the publisher reputable?

• Look at the scope of the site and what's included and see if other sites or sources have similar information
• Ask yourself: If this site has more information than others, is it properly cited? If it has less information than others, is there a reason for that?

• Ask yourself: Is the purpose of this site's information to inform, teach, sell, entertain, or persuade?
• In what context would this source be useful?

When you're searching in Google, you can limit your search results by specific domains, such as:

• .edu (academic websites)
• .gov (government websites)
• .mil (military websites)
• .org (non-profit websites)

How to do it: After your search terms just add a colon : and then the domain you want to see in the results (no space between the colon and the period). Websites from these domains tend to have reliable content -- but always use the evaluation techniques for any website!

Example search:

nanotechnology market site:.gov

This search will only show .gov websites.

"Evaluating Websites." Library Learning and Resources, 5 March 2020, Prince George's Community College, https://pgcc.libguides.com/c.php?g=60038&p=385689

"Google Search Tips - Limit by Domain." Evaluating Websites, 24 May 2018, DVC Diablo Valley College, https://dvc.libguides.com/evaluating_websites