Can I use websites in academic study?
Yes but you must use them appropriately
Websites are a useful information source and, in the same way as books and journals, can be used to support your assignment. There are many reputable and credible websites available on the internet for example from academic institutions, charities, government departments and medical bodies/organisations. Journal articles including open access, are also often available online, and many journals are now solely available electronically.
However, unlike academic books and journals which go through quality control (peer review) and editorial checks prior to publishing, websites can potentially be written by anyone. They may not be a subject expert or qualified to write about the topic you are doing your assignment on. So you do need to spend more time evaluating them for accuracy and credibility (see the evaluating information tab).
The library subscribes to lots of subject specific databases which provide credible, high quality academic sources for your assignments. It is recommend that these are your first port of call, rather then websites, when searching for information . Have a look at the key resources tab to find out which are the best resources for your programme.
The following video explains the advantages of using subscription databases.