6.3: Checking on the Domain Indicators

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Page ID: 67179

Jim Marteney
Los Angeles Valley College via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI)

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Every website address ends with a domain indicator. This graphic illustrates four of them. Understanding each domain indicator can help us better understand the quality of the website.

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What follows is a list of domain indicators from most reliable to least reliable sites. The sites at the top of the list are considered more trustworthy than those towards the bottom of the list.

.gov This is the site that is restricted for use of federal, state and local governments only. And yes, here I am saying that the government is to be trusted. These sites are reviewed for accuracy by individuals and agencies.

.edu Since 2001, these sites have been restricted for use of U.S. educational institutions of higher education. The content on this site will not only be written by people associated by that institution, but will be subject to review by that institution.

.org Although we think of this as a domain indicator for an organization, anyone can obtain this domain indicator. And even if it is an organization, you need to check the credibility of that organization.

.com Any individual can obtain this domain indicator and publish a site. There are no review boards to evaluate the content that is in this site.

.net As with .com, any individual can obtain this domain indicator.