Guides: Geology 1405 Sustainability Project: Find Internet Sources

Recommended Websites

Below is a list of a few of reliable, authoritative web pages which can be used to begin the research process. To retrieve these types of results, begin a Google search with the topic you wish to search and narrow to all government web pages. The search would look like this:

Composting site:gov

Biosolids site:gov

Renewable energy site:gov

Environmental Protection Agency
EPA's composting home page. Good background on topic of composting.
Environmental Protection Agency
EPA's page on biosolids
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Learning about renewable energy home page is linked here. A good place to learn the basics on a topic.
United States Department of Agriculture
USDA Energy Page
United States Department of Energy
This government website covers all forms of energy. Good for background information and to gain a better understanding of your topic.
World Health Organization
Guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater Vol 1,2 and 3

CAPOW

The Internet can be a wonderful source of original or primary sources. When you are searching the web, determine if it is a credible source by critically applying the CAPOW criteria below:

Currency	What is the publication date or last date updated? Is the content timely, useful, and valid for your information need?
Authorship	Who wrote the content? What makes that individual author or organization qualified to write it? What other information about the author is included? Who sponsored the content?
Purpose	Is the purpose of the content to inform, to entertain, or to promote a product or service? Who is the intended audience? Does the information seem credible? If so, can you check the information against another resource (i.e. book, journal article, newspaper, etc.) for credibility?
Objectivity	Is content biased? Are opinions balanced or does the author have an agenda? How does the bias influence the information?
Writing Style	Does the information contain a bibliography, references, or a comprehensive list of sources supporting its theme, topic, or agenda? Is content presented at an appropriate level for an academic research paper? Does the supporting information fit your research need? Is the work complete, or is it a summary of other work?