LibGuides: History: Find Reliable Web Sites

Evaluating Web Sites

Asking these questions will help you to determine whether the resources you find are credible and reliable.

Who created the page? Does the person or organization have the appropriate credentials?
Why was this site created? What is the purpose of the site? For example, is it sponsored by a company that has a financial interest in the topic?
When was the page created and/or last updated? How current is the information?
Does the author cite trustworthy sources? How does the author support their argument?
How does this site compare to resources your professor recommends or assigns?

Recommended Web Sites

Documenting the American South
From the University of North Carolina, this site includes primary sources on the cultural history of the American South from the Southern point of view. Includes diaries, autobiographies, travel accounts, titles about slavery, and regional literature. Emphasis is on the 19th century.
Digital Collections from the Library of Congress
This collection from the Library of Congress includes texts of books, photographs, moving images,manuscripts, musical scores and recordings. Search for a topic of interest, or browse by collection.
British History Online
"British History Online is the digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles, created by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust."
Victorian Web
"Literature, history and culture in the Age of Victoria"
Timelines: Sources from history by The British Library
Dynamic visual interface for delving into British history - features digitizations of primary sources. An amazing resource for contextualizing your study of British literature.
Teaching American History: Ratification of the Constitution
TeachingAmericanHistory.org is a project of the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University.
Valley of the Shadow
The Valley of the Shadow is a digital archive of primary sources that document the lives of people in Augusta County, Virginia, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, during the era of the American Civil War. Here you may explore thousands of original documents that allow you to see what life was like during the Civil War for the men and women of Augusta and Franklin.
Digital History
Excellent source for primary documents, historical timelines, as well as information on museums and historical collections. Sponsored by the University of Houston.