Have you ever been assigned a research paper for a class and thought to yourself, “Where do I start?”  There is so much information out there on the Internet, it can be difficult to decide where to begin and what sites are okay to use.  Here are some tips:

Google searching:  Google is a great place to start.  To get the best results, I recommend using their Advanced Search feature.  It can help narrow down the results you get so that you don’t spend a lot of time sifting through links that won’t help.  Here’s a short intro to using Google Advanced Search.

Wikipedia: Students ask all the time whether or not Wikipedia is a good resource.  While it might not be the best resource to cite in your paper, it’s a good way to get some introductory information to familiarize yourself with the basics of your topic.  But what I usually find helpful is the list of links at the bottom of the article.  Under the headings “References” and “Further Reading” you’ll find links to the sources the author of the Wiki article used, and there’s often a lot of good information within those.  If you’re still not sure whether or not those sites are okay to use for your paper, here are some tips you can use to evaluate those articles.
There are other ways to search other than keyword searching like Google.  Sites like Internet Public Library list resources by subject.  For example, if you’re looking for some good websites for information on electronics, you can click Resources by Subject, and under the Science and Technology category you’ll see an Electronics link.  That will bring you to a list of websites with information on Electronics.  The sites listed on Internet Public Library have been vetted by librarians, so it should be good and trustworthy.  But as always, keep in mind the guidelines for evaluating websites, and when in doubt look for one of your librarians.

When I have a topic that I need to research, the first thing I do is start a Google search.  It’s pretty simple, and if you do the search right you can get tons of great results.  But conversely, you get TONS of results.  How do you know what information is good and what information is bad?

I was reading an article in Wired magazine recently about this exact issue.  Writer Clive Thompson revealed in his article “Clive Thompson on Why Kids Can’t Search” that when given a topic to Google search, most students simply used the first items on the list of search results to find their answer rather than looking closer at those results to see whether or not the information was trustworthy.  You can read the whole article here, it’s very interesting!

When you’re looking at your Google search results, here are some questions you can ask yourself to decide whether or not the information is reliable:

• Who is the author?  What makes him/her an expert in the field?
• What is the author’s intent in writing this article?
• Does the author show any bias concerning the topic?
• How up-to-date is the information?
• Are there any citations that show where the author got their information?

The library at Hamilton Tech now subscribes to Wired magazine!  We’ll be getting one issue per month.  We just received the issues for May and June, and in them you’ll find articles on smart phone technology, advertising,  cloud technology, electric cars,  comedy in the Internet age, new video games and gaming software, the current and future job market, and much more.  Stop by the library today to see if one is available; you can find all of our journals and magazines on the three racks that hang on the walls.

Doing research on the Internet and not quite getting the results you need?  Instead of just typing a few words into the search bar and hitting Enter, give Advanced Search a try!  It will help you give the search engine more specific information about what you’re looking for, and your results will probably be better.  When you go to a search engine like Google, look for a little link that says Advanced Search (in Google it’s to the right of the search bar on the main page).  It will take you to a page that looks like the picture on the left here.  There’s a place to type in the words you want, the words you don’t want, a whole phrase you’re searching for, and other options that will help you find exactly what you’re looking for.  Most search engines (like Google and Yahoo) have Advanced Search features like this, so next time you’re using one, give Advanced Search a try.  If you need help, ask a librarian!

One of my favorite resources whenever I’m working on a big writing project is the Purdue Online Writing Lab, or OWL.  There are hundreds of links on this site that will teach you all about how to do research, the writing process, and citations.  There are even pages all about conducting a job search and perfecting your resume.

To browse through all of their helpful topics, click on the Site Map.  If you’re still stumped, check in with your instructor or one of Hamilton Tech’s librarians!  Our hours are posted on a sign in the library, or you can e-mail us to set up an appointment.