Indiana Natural History: Internet

The Internet is a global network of computers that interconnect and exchange data.

The World Wide Web (WWW) is an information-sharing model for exchanging and making information accessible over the Internet.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international organization which develops Web standards that govern how it works and functions.

An Intranet is a private network that belongs to a corporation, organization, institution, or person. It may be accessible from the Internet by anyone or it may be protected by security to allow only certain people access.

A Web site (sometimes spelled "website") is a set of interconnected Web pages located on the same server (computer or computer system). This Web site is made accessible to the Internet so that people may find it and visit. All Web pages on a Web site start with the same domain name. For example, this Web page is located at library.indianastate.edu/   Indiana State University's Web pages are all located at the domain https://indianastate.edu/  

If the domain name in the URL changes, you have left one Web site and gone into another Web site. For example, when you click on the link to EBSCO, you will leave library.indianastate.edu/ and enter search.ebscohost.com/

There are entities that operate and maintain the Internet system. (It doesn't run itself!) Below are a few of them that are involved with or provide information about the Internet.

Anyone can put anything on the Internet. You need to evaluate each web page you look at.

• Responsibility: Who is responsible for the web site?

   

  • URLs: What is the address (Uniform Resource Locator) of the site?

     

    • Top Level Domains: What is the domain (.edu, .org, .gov, etc.)?

       

    • .EDU: If it's a .edu page, is it a personal page or an official page?

       

  • About Us: What information can you find about the organization or authors?

     

• Authority: How do you know that the authors know what they're talking about? What credentials do they have?

   

• Purpose: What are the authors trying to do?

   

• Documentation: Are there references, notes, bibliographies, or other citations of information sources?

   

• Updates: When was the information on the site posted? When was the last time it was checked?

   

After considering these factors, if you're still not sure, ask a professor or a librarian.

Not all Web sites provide accurate information. Some are maintained by well meaning people but provide incorrect facts. Others may be intentionally misleading and wrong in their information. Visitors should always evaluate Web page information for its accuracy and reliability. 

Quiz yourself. Evaluate the Web sites listed below. Which Web sites are respectable and which are trying to fool you?