Dance: Websites

* Is the author an authority or expert?
* What is the author's agenda?
* Is the website selling products? 
* Is evidence used to support facts?
* Is the information current?
* Do you think the information is correct?

Start with...ABOUT on the home page lists the website's stated mission, purpose or information on the author(s). Sample websites that include informative ABOUT links

• NASD: National Association of Schools of Dance.  About describes the organization, its purpose, philosophy, services, and more.
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Then, look at AUTHORS:

• All quality websites will list their author(s).  The author can be a person, a group of people, organization, company, or government agency.
• Websites with no author are anonymous.  Information from an anonymous website should not be used in research.
• Company websites are advertisements and their information should be treated as such. 
• Websites that review movies, theatre, music, & dance performances, are generally simply selling tickets.
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SAMPLE WEBSITES

• PubMed Respected medical research database maintained by the US National Library of Medicine
• Dance Magazine  Popular trade magazine in dance.  Articles in this magazines are avilable to CSUF for free when searching through library databases.

IN CONCLUSION: Become a snob when you do research on the Internet.  Carefully evaluate any website and use information that is college-level, identify any bias that the website might have, look for the credentials of the author(s), and do not include in your research any suspect or low-quality websites.