WWW
The Internet is fast evolving into a major research resource; increasingly,
more and more useful document collections and full-text versions of
articles are appearing on the net. For example, the EuroDocs
site offers a collection of primary historical documents from a wide
range of European countries from the medieval period to the present.
Through the use of Search Engines you can locate and access relevant
sites.
Search Engines (accessed on Netscape Search Page)
Google
Alltheweb
Altavista
Infoseek
Lycos
In addition, there are a burgeoning number of Subject Guides and Information Gateways which can offer quick access to specialised sites.
BUBL
The Argus Clearinghouse
Social Science Information Gateway
The Subject Area pages which are part of Researching History offer lists of useful Web sites relevant to specific fields of history.
Assessing the Quality of Sites
The Internet can provide some very useful sources. But beware: anyone can put anything on the Net. Its unfiltered, unedited quality makes it very democratic but also very unreliable and wildly variable in quality. As one Internet expert has noted: "In the foreseeable future the Internet will consist of two parts: a highly organised, quality filtered body of information and a garbage can containing all the trash and trivia. There is still a way to go before these two worlds can be kept apart." There are several sites which evaluate the quality of Net sites, often offering reviews and important information about the origin and reliability of individual sites.
Evaluating Internet Resources for SOSIG
Internet Detective (an interactive tutorial on evaluating the quality of Internet resources)
