LibGuides: Family and Human Studies: Websites

Evaluating Websites

When using the Web for research, it is important to evaluate what you find, because no one curates or rates it. There are different methods of deciding if a source is credible, but an easy-to-remember evaluation acronym to use is CRAAP:

CURRENCY
timeliness of the information

RELEVANCE
importance of the information for your needs

AUTHORITY
source of the information

ACCURACY
reliability and correctness of the content

PURPOSE
the reason for it or why the information exists

Gateway Resources

Child & Family Web Guide (Tufts University)
Guide to sites on the Internet with research-based information on children, child-rearing, parenting, and family issues. From Tufts University.
Child Care & Early Education Research Connections
Comprehensive, up-to-date, and easy-to-use collection of more than 10,000 resources from the many disciplines related to child care and early education.
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Child Welfare Information Gateway connects professionals and concerned citizens.

Professional Associations

American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
Dedicated to Family & Consumer Sciences professionals. AAFCS strives to improve the quality and standards of individual and family life by providing educational programs, influencing public policy, and through communication.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8.
Population Association of America
Society of professionals working in the population field. PAA members include demographers, sociologists, economists and public health professionals.
Society for Research in Child Development
Professional association promoting multidisciplinary research in the field of human development.
Utah Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
Utah chapter of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Online Publications

Education Policy Analysis Archives
Peer reviewed journal published by the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education, Arizona State University and the College of Education, University of South Florida. Articles in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
Future of Children
Disseminates timely information on major issues related to children's well-being.
Statistical Abstract of the United States - 2011
Contains statistics on social, political and economic conditions in the U.S. Also includes select international data and a guide to other sources. Full-text of current edition available as well as older editions back to 1881.

General Resources

Children’s Defense Fund
Seeks to ensure that children have a successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.
ChildStats.Gov/Forum
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics is a group of 22 government agencies involved in research and activities related to children and families. The Forum's annual report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, provides a summary of national indicators of child well-being and monitors changes in these indicators over time.
Child Trends
An independent, nonpartisan research center dedicated to improving the lives of children and their families. Projects, news, and publications.
FamilyFacts.Org
Sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, this site presents findings on the family, society and religion.
FamilySearch.org
For those interested in geneaology, this is a link to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints family history website and their voluminous genealogical repository. An essential tool for anyone interested in researching their roots.
MEDLINEplus - Family Issues
Brings together authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

Narrower Resources

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Information on child and adolescent psychiatry including fact sheets for parents and caregivers, current research, practice guidelines and managed care.
Family Education
This website offers articles about child development, family dynamics, and other topics relevant to FHS.
MINCAVA Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse
Resources, references, teaching aids, conferences, and hypertext links examining issues of violence and abuse.
Nutrition Source
Highly educational facts on nutrition based on research. Try the topic "antioxidants."
Population Index on the Web (Princeton University)
Covers all fields of interest to demographers, including fertility, mortality, population size and growth, migration, nuptiality and the family, and research.
Reading Resources
You can find information on how to help children learn to read, including discussions on how reading skills are acquired in children, and how parents influence their children's attitudes towards reading.
U.S. Census Bureau
Government agency that produces the United States' demographic data.
Zero to Three
National nonprofit dedicated to the healthy development of infants, toddlers, and their families, with information for parents and professionals.

Libraries

Family and Human Studies