Surgical Technology

The web contains a wealth of information published by government departments, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, commercial enterprises and private individuals all over the world. Since there are no standards for information quality on the web, not everything you find will be accurate or appropriate to use as research.

.com sites

Commercial or for-profit company websites - URL addresses are identified by the .com domain suffix:

• Example: Starbucks https://www.starbucks.com

.edu sites

College and university websites - URL addresses are identified by the .edu domain suffix:

• Example: Harvard University https://www.harvard.edu
• Excludes student or faculty pages hosted by the educational institution. 

.gov sites

Government agency and department websites - URL addresses are identified by the .gov domain suffix:

• Example: National Institutes of Health https://www.nih.gov

.org sites

Professional society and non-profit organization websites - URL addresses are identified by the .org domain suffix:

• Example of a professional society: American Psychological Association https://www.apa.org
• Example of a non-profit organization: American Red Cross https://www.redcross.org

What Does .org Mean?

• The .org domain was originally intended for non-profit organizations and professional associations.
• Today, anyone can purchase a .org domain, so not all .org sites are legitimate or unbiased.
• Always evaluate who is behind the website and what their purpose is.

Legitimate .org Websites

Many trusted professional and non-profit organizations use the .org domain. These sites often provide reliable, research-based information.

Examples:

• American Psychological Association (APA) – https://www.apa.org 
• American Red Cross – https://www.redcross.org

These are recognized organizations that represent their disciplines and are considered authoritative sources.

Advocacy and Bias on .org Sites

Not all .org websites are neutral. Many represent organizations that promote specific causes or viewpoints. These sites can still be valuable, but it’s important to recognize their advocacy role and potential bias.

Examples:

• Planned Parenthood – https://www.plannedparenthood.org 
• National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) – https://norml.org 
• National Rifle Association (NRA) – https://www.nra.org

Use these sites to understand particular perspectives, but cross-check information with neutral or scholarly sources.

Misleading or Unreliable .org Websites

Some .org websites look professional but are not legitimate or trustworthy. Be cautious of sites that hide their affiliations or promote biased or false information.

Examples:

Wikipedia – https://www.wikipedia.org 

• Helpful for background reading but can be edited by anyone.

• Not always reliable for academic research.

Martin Luther King website (run by Stormfront) - http://martinlutherking.org 

• Appears respectful but is actually operated by a white nationalist organization.

• Presents highly biased and misleading content.

Institute for Historical Review (IHR) – http://www.ihr.org

• Claims to publish historical research but promotes Holocaust denial.

• Authors often lack credible academic qualifications.

Bullying Statistics – http://www.bullyingstatistics.org

• Looks official but lacks clear authorship and verifiable data sources.

If it is not obvious the information comes from an authoritative group, look for links such as About Us, Who We Are or Our Mission to evaluate the source.