ISU Library Basics 

The Internet is a global network of computers that interconnect and exchange data.

An Intranet is a private network that belongs to a corporation, organization, institution, or person. It may be accessible from the Internet by anyone or it may be protected by security to allow only certain people access.

A Web site is a set of interconnected Web pages located on the same server (computer or computer system). All Web pages on a Web site start with the same domain name. For example, this Web page is located at libguides.indstate.edu/   Indiana State University's Web pages are all located at the domain www.indstate.edu/ 

If the domain name in the URL changes, you have left one Web site and gone into another. For example, when you click on EBSCO, you left library.indstate.edu/ and entered search.ebscohost.com/

Anyone can put anything on the Internet. You need to evaluate each web page you look at.

• Responsibility: Who is responsible for the web site?

   

  • URLs: What is the address (Uniform Resource Locator) of the site?

     

    • Top Level Domains: What is the domain (.edu, .org, .gov, etc.)?

       

    • .EDU: If it's a .edu page, is it a personal page or an official page?

       

  • About Us: What information can you find about the organization or authors?

     

• Authority: How do you know that the authors know what they're talking about? What credentials do they have?

   

• Purpose: What are the authors trying to do?

   

• Documentation: Are there references, notes, bibliographies, or other citations of information sources?

   

• Updates: When was the information on the site posted? When was the last time it was checked?

   

After considering these factors, if you're still not sure, ask a professor or a librarian.