Evaluating Websites
There are several excellent resources on the Internet that will aid you in your studies. Be sure to evaluate what you find for not only relevancy, but also authority and quality. Take a look at the handout below for tips on evaluating websites.
Internet Research
You will have a much better chance of finding quality Internet resources if you narrow your searches to particular domains. Follow these instructions:
- Go to the Google Advanced Search
- Type one of the following three domains in the 'Search within a site or domain' box: .edu .org .gov
- Type your search terms in one or more of the boxes in the 'Find web pages with...' section (near the top of the page)
- Click the 'Advanced Search' button
Online information: Various Legislation
The following list of websites includes two types of links: 1) an authoritative website related to the policy issue, and 2) the text of the legislation (in most cases).
- Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 from the Child Welfare Information Gateway (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)
- Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 from THOMAS
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 from U.S. Deparement of Justice
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 from THOMAS
- Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 from U.S. Department of Justice
- Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 from THOMAS
- Establishment of White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Executive Order 13199) from Global Legal Information Network
- Establishment of White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Executive Order 13199) from the National Archives
- Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 from WorkWORLD.org (Virginia Commonwealth University)
- Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 from THOMAS
- Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 from Child Welfare Information Gateway (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)
- Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 from THOMAS
- Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 from the Democratic Policy Committee
- Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 from National Indian Child Welfare Association
- Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 from Tribal Law and Policy Institute
- Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act 1974 from Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
- Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994 from the Child Welfare Information Gateway (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)
- Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994 from THOMAS
- No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 from U.S. Department of Education
- No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 from THOMAS
- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009 from HealthCare.gov
- Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 from the American Public Welfare Association website
- Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 2001 from U.S. Department of Education
- Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 from National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
- Violence Against Women Act of 1994 from National Network to End Domestic Violence
- Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 from govtrack.us
Federal & State Legislation
Here are the links for the state and federal legislative sites. Instructions for using these sites effectively can be found in the box below (Using the California & Federal Databases).
- THOMASFind federal legislative information from 1989 to the present.
- California Legislative InformationFind California State legislative information.
Using the California & Federal Databases
When researching particular legislation, starting with the actual text of the bill is key to understanding the context, focus, projected outcomes/programs, etc. The information below will help you locate California State or Federal legislation.
California Legislative Information
The key to using the California Legislative Information Bill Information database is the Session Year option (see graphic below). You might have the title of the bill, the bill number, or the bill author, but none of it will help unless you select the correct session year. If you know the session year, that's the best scenario, but you can also enter what you know and try it in different session years until you find the correct bill. The bill number can be entered in the Bill Number box, you can select the bill author from the Author drop down menu, or you can enter the bill title in the Keyword(s) box.
In addition to bills, the California Legislative Information website has a section for California Law where the state constitution and codes can be found.
State legislation often stems from legislation on the federal level. For federal bills, you'll search in the THOMAS database, which is maintained by the Library of Congress. Again, the session year is important to note. In THOMAS, the sessions are referred to as congresses, and these can be found in the advanced search (see graphic below). Unless you select a different congress, the search engine will look for your term(s) in the current congress. Searching in THOMAS is similar to searching the California database. Select a congress by clicking on one of the congress number links, enter the name of the bill or the bill number in the search box, and then click Search.
Finding Policy News on the Internet
If you're trying to find the most current information on particular policies, you'll want to use the 'news' feature that most Internet search engines provide. This type of search will narrow the results to only those that show up in online news publications. Be sure to evaluate the news sources for any potential biases. Here are two examples of Internet news searches (for both searches, be sure to click on the 'News' link in the navigation bar):
You can also search for terms in particular domains, like .org or .edu. There are instructions for this in the Internet Research box on this page.
Syllabus Websites
The following websites may be listed in your syllabus, depending on who is teaching the course.