LibGuides: Humanities: History Websites

Evaluating Websites

Use the CABLE Method to Evaluate Resources

Currency (When?) When was it published or last updated? Are references to other resources up to date?
Authority (Who?) Who wrote the information and what are their credentials? Is additional information about the author available?
Bias (Why?) What does the author say is the purpose of the resource? Is more than one point of view presented?
Level (What?) How useful is this information for your purpose? Does it cover your subject in enough depth? Do you feel comfortable citing this page in a college-level assignment?
Explore (Where?) Has the author published other useful information? Do you have access to the cited resources? Are there similar or more definitive resources on this subject matter?

Adapted from: The Library Instruction Cookbook "CABLE Cook-off: Learning to Evaluate Web Sites" (90-91)

Improve your Google Search

Understanding Web Domains

The domain of a website provides basic information about the creating entity of the site. This information helps you to determine the site's authority.

DOMAIN	Source Types
.com	Commercial entities
.edu	Educational institutions
.gov	Government agencies
.org	Non-profit organizations
.mil	Military
.net	Network infrastructures

For example, if you are looking for a government website you will most likely go to a site with .gov in the web address. (ex. http://www.census.gov/).

Limit by Domain (.org, .gov, .edu, .mil) use site:

"art museum" site:.gov will retrieve results with art museum as a phrase in .gov (government) sites.
"art museum" site:.gov
"Frida Kahlo" "The Bus" site:.org

General History

Historical Government Documents
Historic American Newspapers
Historic newspapers as far back as 1836 (Opens a new tab)
History Matters: Making Sense of Evidence (Primary Sources)
This section of the History Matters website "...helps students and teachers make effective use of primary sources. 'Making Sense of Documents' provide strategies for analyzing online primary materials, with interactive exercises and a guide to traditional and online sources. 'Scholars in Action' segments show how scholars puzzle out the meaning of different kinds of primary sources, allowing you to try to make sense of a document yourself then providing audio clips in which leading scholars interpret the document and discuss strategies for overall analysis." (Opens a new tab)
Internet History Sourcebook Project
Hosted on the Web by Fordham University, this project which contains "collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts," is great for finding primary historical resources. The three primary historical sourcebooks cover Ancient, Medieval, and Modern History. Additional historical sourcebooks are organized by theme. In addition to full-text historical documents, one can find links to secondary articles, reviews, discussions, and more. (Opens a new tab)
World Digital Library
The World Digital Library (WDL) makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world. (Opens a new tab)
World Fact Book
Lists population, government, military, and economic information for nations recognized by the United States. (Opens a new tab)

South Carolina History

SCIway (History & Genealogy)
The largest and most comprehensive directory of South Carolina information on the Internet. (Opens a new tab)
South Carolina Department of Archives and History
The SCDAH's mission is to preserve and promote the documentary and cultural heritage of SC through professional records, historic preservation, and education programs. (Opens a new tab)
South Carolina Digital Newspaper Program
South Carolina Digital Library
The South Carolina Digital Library provides free access to historic materials, such as photographs, manuscripts, journals, books, oral histories, objects, etc. illustrating the history and culture of South Carolina from over 40 cultural heritage institutions across the state. (Opens a new tab)