LibAnswers

The domain of a site (the portion of a site’s URL following the last period) can provide indications of the site’s mission or purpose. Common domains include:

.org: An advocacy web site, such as a not-for-profit organization. Information on this site will likely promote the mission of the organization.

.com: A business or commercial site. Information on this site will likely promote products, companies, etc.

.net: A site from a network organization or an Internet service provider.

.edu: A site affiliated with a higher education institution. Generally a reliable source of information.

.gov: A federal government site. Information will likely be based on government research or may promote a department or agency’s mission.

.la.us: A state government site, this may also include public schools and community colleges. Like federal government sites, information will likely be based on government research or may promote a department or agency’s mission.

.uk: A site originating in the United Kingdom. Sites that originate in other countries will have a two letter domain.

~: The tilde usually indicates a personal page. This is generally not an indicator of a reliable source, as the information may not have been subjected to a review process.