Skip to Main Content

Acting, Dance, and Performing Arts: Websites

Acting, Dance, and Performing Arts

Using the World Wide Web

There is so much fantastic information and resources available via the free web, and you should certainly make the most of it.

Remember though, that it is incredibly easy to set up a web page.  When you are using the web please make sure you evaluate any information you obtain, particularly if you are using it for academic research.

When looking at a webpage, or any information resource please ask yourself these questions to make sure the information is useful to you.

1) Who?  Who has written the information?  With a book or journal article this is easy as the information will be on the title page.  With a website you need to look for something that gives you this information.  Often there is a link labeled "About us" or something similar.  

2) What?  What is the information based on? Is it just opinion, or is it academically reliable?  For it to be academically reliable it needs to give full details of the source of the information.   "An insider", "Close Friend", "Someone in the know" are not reliable sources.  Look for full citation details.   Obviously for reviews etc. opinion pieces are perfectly acceptable and I am not saying *never* use 'nonacademicly reliable" information - I am just saying make sure you are aware of the quality of the information you are using.

3) Where?  Where has this information come from?  Who is responsible for it being posted online?  Is it from an official and reliable source?   Have a look at "martinlutherking.org for a obvious example - it is hosted by Stormfront - a white supremist organisation - luckily you can find that information by clicking the "Hosted by" link at the bottom of the page because it would be a bad mistake to believe you are getting objective information from this site.

4) Why? Why is this information being posted?  Is it to spread high quality information on a topic, or does it have another, possibly hidden agenda?  Remember that bias is not the same as lies.  Everything that is said can be true, but important information can be left out leading you to make false assumptions.  Have a look at http://www.dhmo.org/ for an extreme example of this.

5) When?  When was the information written and when was it put up online?  This is less critical in the Arts than it is in the sciences, but you still need to know how old the information is, and whether it is still current.  If information is still true, and still useful than it is current - if it has been superseded by new information than it is not.  Use your common sense on this.  Is the review you are reading of the Abbey Theatre's production of "The playboy of the western world" discussing the first production 1907 where there were riots, or the 2004 production directed by Ben Barnes?

6) How?  How is this resource useful to you?  Your time is very limited.  Make sure you spend your research time on things that are actually going to help you achieve your research goal!

Useful Websites