THEAT 040 - Torralba: Search the Web

Google can be a great search tool that can provide you with quality results if you try a few tips: 

• To get more precise results, try putting your search terms in quotes 
• You can try adding the terms site:.edu or site:.gov to limit your results to sites coming from these domains
• Use Google tools such as Google Scholar for scholarly content or Google Images for images
• Always, always evaluate the results of your searches -- See the box below for more information. 

Evaluating Websites and Other Sources

Consider...

• Who is the author?
• Why was it written -- for what purpose, organization, or audience?
• When was it written?
• Does it include references or a works cited list?

If you cannot determine the credibility of the information you are using, especially from a website, it's best not to use it to factually support your argument. Using biased or inaccurate information in your paper can negatively impact your grade.

Wikipedia is a great tool for a summary of a topic. Some of the content is excellent, some is questionable. Many educators frown on the use of Wikipedia. Why?

• Content is not necessarily written by subject experts, and may be inadequate or incorrect.
• Articles in Wikipedia may be changed or deleted between viewings.
• For research papers, you need authoritative resources.

How can you use Wikipedia in a way that benefits your research process?

• Scan the article to get general information and terms you can use as keywords for further searching.
• Scan the article for references. Sometimes these can lead you to excellent source that may be available through EVC Library.
• Don't reference Wikipedia articles in your paper.