| How to evaluate Websites | Websites about Music |
| Databases vs. Websites | Professional Associations |
How to Evaluate Websites
You should check online information for reliability against the following points:
| What you need to know | What you should ask yourself | What you need to look for |
| Authority It is clear who has written the information |
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| Relevancy The information is relevant to you |
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| Accuracy The information can be checked |
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| Timely The information is current |
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| Bias What type of information is presented |
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URL: What does the URL (Web address) say about the producer of the web site, and its purpose? Look at the suffix in the domain name; this should give you an idea of who the author/publisher is.
- .com Commercial site
- .edu US institutions
- .gov Government agency
- .org Non-Profit Organizations
- .mil Military site
- ~ ("tilde") Personal site
What if I cannot find the author? If you can't find an author's name on the web page, check some of the other pages to see if you can find one. If you are unable to find an author, do you really want to use this information?
What is biased information? Biased information gives one point of view or perspective. Unbiased information is either neutral or provides multiple view points.
Information you find in articles from the databases are more reliable than information from Web sites because they have gone through some kind of review process. These articles are referred to as scholarly, academic or peer review. Click this link if you are unsure what is the difference between scholarly and non-scholarly journals.
Websites about Music
Appalachian Music
Links to old time and Appalachian music
All About Jazz
Reviews of jazz from around the world, and interviews with international musicians.
BluesNet
This site focus on traditional and historical blues artists. Articles, photographs.
Bluegrass Unlimited
Online edition of the monthly magazine; includes selected features and reviews from current and back issues.
The Cyber Hymnal
This site has over 2600 Christian hymns and gospel songs from many denominations. It includes lyrics, scores, MIDI files, pictures, and histories.
J.S. Bach Homepage
This site provides extensive information on Bach's life, works, recordings, and bibliography.
Operabase
A British site written in six languages, this is considered the most comprehensive source for information on opera, conceived for and used by opera professionals.
PD Info: Public Domain Music
Contains a list of over 3,000 songs in the public domain with information about copyright, fair use, obtaining sheet music, and links to other related sites.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Official site has a full list of the inductees into the Hall, articles, history, calendar, events, and exhibition information.
World Music Institute
A not-for-profit organization, founded in 1985, World Music Institute is dedicated to the research, documentation, and presentation of music from around the world.
Professional Associations
Guitar Foundation of America
Established in 1973, the Guitar Foundation of America is the largest classical guitar organization in the world. It is a non-profit corporation dedicated to classical guitar performance, literature and history.
International Society of Bassists
Information on membership, conventions, workshops, literature, links to related sites (fairly extensive).