Since you’re taking some of your classes online, you’ve probably used search engines before—most likely, many times. Have you ever noticed, though, that—along with a few good sources of information, you get lots of useless links, too?
Even with the world at your fingertips, finding good information isn’t always easy. Before you begin looking for sources, take some time to learn how to get the best search results.
Use your notes and brainstorming ideas to help you select more effective key words and phrases. For example, if your topic is mushrooms, you might use the ideas from your graphic organizer to create the following search terms: nutritional value of mushrooms, mushroom life cycle, mushrooms in medicine.
Make sure your terms are specific rather than general. A search term of mushrooms will not turn up as much relevant information as will mushrooms in medicine. Once you’ve started researching, continue to look for new and better key words.
Most of the websites you visit probably have URLs, or web addresses, that end with the domain .com. Although these sites are the most popular for everyday interactions, they are not the best places to locate credible, or trustworthy, information for research projects. Click on the domains below to learn which sites you should use to conduct your research.
| Domain | Purpose | Suitable for Research? |
|---|---|---|
“Com” is short for commercial. Websites in this domain are maintained by businesses or by individuals who have purchased a “ready-made” website from a company. |
no |
|
Websites in the .edu domain are maintained by schools and universities. They provide information about courses and campus life but also academic content written by scholars and other experts in the field. |
yes |
|
Websites in the .gov domain are maintained by a government agency, such as NASA, National Parks and Wildlife, and the Department of Agriculture. |
yes |
|
Websites in the .org domain are owned by nonprofit organizations, such as charities and library systems. Political organizations use this domain as well as some personal sites. |
Sometimes; examine nonprofit organizations carefully and only rely on websites belonging to well-known organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the Sierra Club. |
The sheer number of U.S. government agencies and departments can make finding information on them difficult, especially when you’re trying to research one specific topic. Begin your search at science.gov. However, if that doesn’t provide the information you need, search individual government sites, such as National Institutes of Health, NASA, NOAA, and the CDC. (You can find a list of these agencies at www.usa.gov/federal-agencies.) Be sure to check the dates on any articles you find and try to use the most recent information available.
Even if you know how to find information online, you may have noticed that you can’t always find exactly what you want. Most search engines have an advanced search feature that allows you to narrow down the list of links that you will see by applying rules and filters. With the advanced search feature, you can search for all the words in a search term, an exact phrase, all the words except certain words, or words within a page title. You can even limit your search to specific domains, such as .gov and .edu. To find the advanced search feature for a search engine, first look up a word or phrase, then look near the search engine’s logo to find the words “Advanced” or a tool icon.
Each search engine has its own rules that determine how it will list search results, and those rules may or may not be designed for the sole benefit of users. A search engine may allow companies to pay to have their websites appear first. For this reason, you should not assume that the links at the top of the list are the best. Instead, read all of the entries as you look for words that answer your research questions.
Question
Which sites are the most reliable for research purposes?
