Searching
Finding information on Google requires skill in searching. Advanced search features can help narrow the search to specific words, dates, domains, formats and more. I recently discovered that a person can search for specific file formats, such as PowerPoints or pdfs. I also found out about related searches, wonder wheel, and the timeline that are on the left side of a Google search result page. Also, that is where you will find many great ways to limit or focus your search by selecting more under the heading Everything.
The following video explains more search tips that may be new to some of you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtirDMfcOKE
If you are reluctant to have students use Google, you can even create a custom search engine to focus on safe sites. This can be found at http://www.google.com/cse/
Evaluating Websites
When you search Google for research information, it is necessary to evaluate the websites for reliability and bias. The steps for evaluating Google websites are:
1. First check the domain. Reliable domains are .gov, .edu, and .mil.
2. Check who is putting out the information. Determine the purpose of the website. (Make sure the website is not a hoax.)
3. Determine if there is a bias to the information.
4. See when the page was last updated.
5. Check to see if any links are provided to determine reliability of sources.
The following tutorial is helpful in understanding how to evaluate websites: http://library.albany.edu/usered/webeval/
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