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Art & Design: Evaluating Websites

Website Evaluation

While it is true there is a lot of good information on Google and other search engines, there is also a lot of terrible stuff. How do you sift through all of it?

Use this EVALUATE INFORMATION CHECKLIST as you locate resources. It will guide you towards finding accurate, relevant information you can use.

When searching, think about the keywords and related terms you want to use. Also, consider whether your search terms are too broad or too narrow.

Here are more ways to search the internet:

Search Using Keywords

How Google Search Works

Google Advanced Search

WEBSITES

Chances are, you do much of your current research on Google or another search engine. As you move forward in college, however, you may find your professors asking for sources you are not always able locate on Google: things like scholarly journal articles, and authoritative, credible information written by experts. In these cases, databases may be your best bet.

Google Scholar can provide some access to scholary sources. The downside is that you may not be able to retrieve the full-text of the articles you find.

Google can be a good source of information for some things, like current information (e.g. the unemployment rate, stock prices etc.). Take a look at the video below, for some quick tips on finding better sources on the web.