 Resource Types Websites Websites can contain anything and can be created by anyone. The challenge is to evaluate them to determine which are suitable. Here are four types you might want to use. Commercial, educational, governmental or informational. Let's take a look at these different types of websites. Commercial websites Most companies have a website to provide information about the company and its products and services. Commercial websites usually have a .com domain name. When would you want to use a commercial website? To find information about companies. To find information about products. Educational websites Many educational institutions will post information on the internet including research, citation style guides and more. To tell if a website is educational, look for a prominently placed name of the educational institution. They also often have a .edu domain. When would you want to use an educational website? To find research done by a reputable research institution. To find good quality, reliable, academic information. Governmental websites All levels of government post information on their websites about public safety, immigration, health, taxes and much more. Government websites usually have a .gov domain but Canadian government websites do not. Look for the name of the government ministry or department. When would you want to use a government website? To find information about the government of a particular country, region or city. To find information about plans, policies, research results and statistics. Informational websites Informational websites can be about anything and require lots of evaluation before you use them. Informational websites are very diverse and difficult to identify. They are also often commercial sites and may have a .com domain name. When would you want to use an informational website? For opinions and alternative points of view on a topic. For current information from around the world. Blogs like the one on this site can be great sources of information and opinions. Writers post information and often create discussion on a given topic. However, evaluate blogs carefully for their authority and credibility. In this tutorial, we've explored the major types of sources and their application and research. We've also learned some tips on identifying the type of source you've found.