What is an URL?
URL stands for Uniform Resource Location -- think .com, .gov, .edu...
A website's URL (or address) can tell you a lot about the website and its content. It therefore can be an important thing to evaluate when considering whether or not to use a source in a research project, and it can also provide a way of narrowing your Google Searches. Take a look:
| Domain | Ownership and Purpose |
| .gov |
For federal, state, local, and tribal government organizations within the U.S. Registration for .gov domains is managed by the General Services Administration. |
| .edu |
For U.S. post-secondary institutions that are accredited by an agency on the Department of Education's list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies. Educause is the sole registrar for names in the .edu domain |
| .org |
For organizations, non-profits, companies, and clubs. Registration for .org domains is operated by the Public Interest Registry. Provided by virtually any domain registrar or web hosting company. .org is an unrestricted, open domain |
| .mil |
For U.S. Department of Defense (military) and its subsidiary or affiliated organizations. Managed by Defense Information Systems Agency. |
| .com |
Originally intended for commercial business organizations but is now used for virtually any commercial or non-commercial website. Provided by any domain registrar or web hosting company. .com is an unrestricted, open domain |
| .net |
Originally intended for 'network' organizations (involved in network technologies) but is now considered a general purpose domain similar to .com. Provided by any domain registrar or web hosting company. .net is an unrestricted, open domain |