World History I - Essay Example

YOUR FULL YOUR Web Site Evaluation I have chosen several sources for my basic research on the article en d"Islam and West African Indigenous Religion" (Parrinder 130-141), which is linked from the SUNY student site, at least two of which are obtainable on the internet. The first is a general-topic article on Islam in Africa (Wikipedia 1), and the second is a book by the same author of the article, Dr. Parrinder, on world religions (Questia 1). The relevant information on each of the two sites is set forth below.

Whose site is it Wikipedia is one of the largest online encyclopedias, with over one million articles. It is a project of Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational services to the public. Questia is the world's largest online library of books and journal articles. Both sites are academic in nature, with no special interests. What is the site's purpose Wikipedia is designed to provide browsers with access to encyclopedic articles on a wide variety of topics.

Like any encyclopedia, its purpose is academic and informational. Similarly, Questia is a full-service online library with books and journal articles, as well as newspaper and limited magazine articles. It is also designed to be an academic topic research source to paying subscribers (it has a free trial available to new users).How is the site listed Both sites are obtainable through standard internet search engines by either typing in a subject for research or the names of the organizations themselves.

Both are replete with referenced material and reliable antecedents, as well as full citation information. Some sources on the sites include links to the publisher or author.Who is likely to use the site On Wikipedia, the intended audience appears to be those with general interests who need basic information. It is written on a high school level, has graphics and maps where relevant, and active links within the articles for additional research. Questia appears to be geared for the more serious researcher and much of its material is written on a graduate level.

When was the site copyrighted and when was it last updated In the case of Wikipedia, each article is updated as frequently as every day. For the specific cited article on my research, the article was updated less than a month ago. With Questia, the home page is updated daily, and new sources are added frequently. The actual sources have varying copyright dates, depending on the time of publication for the book or journal. In this case, Dr. Parrinder's book was published in London in 1963.

For both sites, I have a high degree of confidence in the reliability of the information given the substantial documentation of both primary and secondary sources, as well as academic focus of the sites themselves. Given the daily updates on the sites, along with the cite documentation information, I know that the data is current.Works CitedParrinder, E.G. "Islam and West African Indigenous Religion." 20 Apr. 2006. State University of New York and Empire State College. 29 Jun. 2006. < http://www.jstor.org.library.esc.

edu/view/00295973/sp050016/05x1269u/0currentResult=00295973%2bsp050016%2b05x1269u%2b0%2cFF1F&searchUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fsearch%2FBasicResults%3Fhp%3D100%26si%3D1%26Query%3Dafrican%2Bcivi>.Questia. "What World Religions Teach." 29 Jun. 2006. Questia Media America, Inc. 29 Jun. 2006. < http://www.questia.com/ PM.qsta=o&d=9364525>. Wikipedia. "Islam in Africa." 5 Jun. 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 29 Jun. 2006 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Islam_in_Africa>.