Tips for internet research…
Hopefully, this article will teach you how to gain better leads and refine your search results when you’re looking for answers and sources online. Here I’ve listed two good suggestions that can be used on all topics of interest.
Wikipedia – a good starting point
I’m sure at least one of your professors/teachers has discouraged the use of Wikipedia as an online source. The reason it is frowned upon is because Wikipedia’s articles are community-based, with lots of people every day adding their two cents on an article they are knowledgeable of. Now, just because you can’t cite Wikipedia on your bibliography doesn’t mean it’s not worth looking. While the validity of Wikipedia’s articles is questionable, there is a way to follow a trail from the site to more trustworthy sources. On the bottom of the article should be a section for ‘External links.’ The links listed there are where the people who have edited the article claim they got their information from. So, Wikipedia may be able to lead you towards informative and trustworthy sources.
Search Engines
If used correctly, search engines like Google are a prime place to look for information quickly. In order to make the most out of your search, there are some things you can do.
Definitions – you can get a word definition right from Google. Simply use define:word.
Exact phrases – putting quotation marks (“”) around your search will return all websites that contain that exact phrase somewhere on their page.
Complex topics – If you want to find out about Will Smith’s religion, put both topics in separate quotes (“Will Smith”)(“religion”) and separate with either ‘+’ or ‘and.’
