Review the criteria about the audience of a secondary popular work. Many websites make no pretense whatsoever of being serious works of scholarship: their purpose is to communicate and entertain.
How can you tell if a website is popular or scholarly?
Ask yourself:
- Who is the author? Are their credentials stated and are they appropriate?
- Is the name of the sponsoring organization given? Is it a recognized one?
- Are statements backed up with credible documentation?
- Are the sources credited?
- Is the information current and is the date of publication evident?
Evaluating electronic resources
This guide from Georgetown University Library is useful and comprehensive.
