The World Wide Web and the Internet has generally expanded and increased people’s freedom to express their own feelings, views and opinions, because it’s now possible to publish almost anything on the web, which is not checked or censored by any form of governing body. Although this is great, it has its drawbacks too, mainly for the viewer of the published content. This is the case, because anyone is able to publish anything they like on the web, some of the data that gets published is incorrect, misleading or deceptive. Therefore, when searching for information on the internet, we must query whether the site we are looking at is legitimate and therefore reliable.

How do I know if a site is legitimate?

• Check for the sites Publisher. A 2-step process can be used in order to discover the publisher:

1. There is an organisation called The ‘InterNIC’ which is able to list the company that assigned the site’s IP address or domain. Simply type in the IP or domain. Sometimes you will receive the information directly from this first step but in the majority of cases you are redirected to a part of the site called ‘Whols Server’.

   (Fluency with Information Technology,2010)

2. Go to ‘Whols Server’ and again enter the IP or domain. The sire should return the owners name and physical address.

• A site in considered to be more believable if it has certain features/characteristics:

1. Actual Existence – a street address, telephone no and email address is provided (i.e. contact information)
2. Knowledge – the site provides relevant links and references.
3. Professionalism – all spelling and grammar are correct, the layout is appropriate and easy to use and the pages are easy to search and navigate to.
4. Current – The website has been updated recently, thus meaning that the information is current.

(Fluency with Information Technology,2010)

This doesn’t guarantee that the site you are using is legitimate but it gives you a much better chance of finding out a site that is not legitimate and thus not using that site if this is the case. Therefore, you can use another site and thus give yourself a better chance of finding more relevant and reliable information.

How do I know if my information is reliable?

The easiest way to check if your information is reliable is to check other legitimate websites related to the topic you are searching for information on. If other sites that appear to be legitimate publish information similar to information you’ve found then generally these back up the information and therefore the information is reliable. Also, check out other sources such as non-internet sources (i.e. books, journals etc). If these quote information similar to that you’ve found then again this backs up the information and makes it reliable and ready for use.