We created this website so that we could share our research with a wider audience and make the resources generated in this project available to the public. Additionally, this medium allows us to incorporate multiple media, including text, images (for our visualizations), and hyperlinks (for presenting our sources).

We considered three options for the creation of our website: coding a new website from scratch and hosting it on the Cal State Northridge server, using a free website-building program such as Wix, or using Scalar, a new web publishing platform currently in beta release. Important considerations included: 

1. Longevity: We wanted our project to be preserved indefinitely, and therefore took into account whether we would have continued access to the server (potentially an issue with publication on the Cal State Northridge server).

2. Accessibility: We wanted to make sure our material would be accessible to users of various browsers, and also to make our material available to those with disabilities.

3. Ease of use: With relatively limited time to complete this project, we needed to make sure that we would be able to complete the website within our given time frame (a potential problem with coding from scratch).

4. Aesthetics: We desired a platform that would help our work look professional and also be easy for readers to view and navigate, while also being visually attractive.

In light of these considerations, after reviewing our options, we decided to use Scalar to publish our project.

While there have been some issues we've had to struggle with in using Scalar, we realize that the platform will continue to develop, and as it does, we hope to continually improve our site.