LibGuides: Countries & Cultures: Websites

Recommended Websites

CIA World Factbook
"The World Factbook provides basic intelligence on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues for 266 world entities."
Global Gateway: World Culture & Resources
This resource is maintained by the Library of Congress. It offers electronic resources on the nations of the world, with links to outside internet resources as well.
Country Studies
From the Library of Congress, comprehensive ebooks on over 80 countries, covering History, Society, Environment, Economy, Government, Politics, National Security, related images. These books, written by teams of social scientists, are several hundred pages long; originally published by the Federal Research Division.
World Digital Library
This resource offers primary sources from countries and cultures around the world, search by time, place, topic or type of item (photos, maps, books, etc.).
World Bank: Countries
This resource offers economic, financial news, projects and statistics by country.
Country Reports
CountryReports provides over 35,000 pages of online content on the cultures and countries of the world.
Nationmaster
Graphically compare countries' statistics on crime, economy, health, and much more.

Evaluating Web Resources

Anyone can publish a webpage without it being evaluated for accuracy or quality of information. Reviews by peers, scholars, editors, and publishers are not often applied to websites. The following evaluation criteria should be applied when viewing a website:

Authorship. Is the author identified? What are the author's credentials? For example, does the site include the author's position and institutional or organizational affiliation? Is the URL for an educational institution (.edu) or government agency (.gov)?
Accuracy. Can the data be verified from other sources? Does the author have an obvious bias? Check the facts.
Audience. Is the site intended for scholars, professionals, or students?
Currency. Does the website include the date it was created and/or updated? Are the links current?
Coverage. Does the site state its intended scope? Is it designed to cover an entire subject, or to give detailed information on one aspect?
Relative Value. How does it compare to other sources of similar information? Are there other more accurate or complete sources - possibly in print format or a library database? Even with all of the useful information online, sometimes the most reliable resources are print books on the shelf at the library.

For additional information, check out the links below. These resources offer methods and detailed criteria that can be applied when conducting research on the internet.

Evaluating Sources: SIFT Your Sources
From the College of DuPage... SIFT your sources: Stop. Investigate. Find. Trace.
Evaluating Information: Applying the CRAAP Test
From California State University, Chico, Meriam Library... evaluating information using the CRAAP test: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose.
Colorado State University: Website Evaluation Information
From Colorado State University... a crash-course on navigating digital information and a flowchart to help in evaluating websites.