1. MC3 Libraries
Finding Good
Websites
with Google

2. MC3 Libraries
First, let’s conduct an experiment
Found at http://seattletimes.com/special/mlk/
Say, you’re doing research on Martin
Luther King Jr.
Will Google help you find good
information? Let’s find out!

3. MC3 Libraries
Searching for a Martin
Luther King Jr. biography
 You type in “martin luther king”
thinking you’ll be able to find tons
of information on him
 Lets look at the results…

4. MC3 Libraries
Results for “martin luther king”
 The first hit,
Wikipedia, is okay
but it’s not a good
source to cite in a
paper.
 The second hit on
Nobel prize winners
might be good, but it
may not have
enough info.
 Wait… the third
link looks really
good…

5. MC3 Libraries
martinlutherking.org
This is a
.org site
and even
has his
name in
the web
address.
Seems
perfect…
right?

6. MC3 Libraries
Wrong!
Once you look at the
page, several items
suddenly look
suspicious and you
realize the site
provides blatantly
false information.
Who made this
site and how
did it show up
in our search?!?

7. MC3 Libraries
Who is behind the site?
 Sometimes it is not easy
to know.
 Look for an “About Us”
or similar link on the
page.
 If that does not provide
enough information, try
a “WhoIs” search.
 Go to networksolutions.
com/whois and type in
the web address.

8. MC3 Libraries
Who is behind the site?
 Scroll through the
information, you will see
the site is owned by
Don Black, a member of
an organization named
Stormfront.
 Google both and you
will find that this site
was created by white
supremacists!
 How does Google allow
such an inaccurate site
to show up so high?

9. MC3 Libraries
How Google Ranks Its Results
Google uses several things to rank their results…
 Google’s PageRank systemmeasures the number of links to a
single site
 Older sites often have more sites
that link to them, which ranks them
higher, even if their information is
outdated or inaccurate
 There are other tools Google uses,
but we don’t know much about
them
So how can I use Google to find good sources?
Graphic from http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/researchers-borrow-from-google-pagerank-for-network-defense-service/1540

10. MC3 Libraries
Better Google results
Let’s find sites written by experts.
Use “site:” to narrow results just to
the type of website you want to search.

11. MC3 Libraries
Using ‘martin luther king’ as our search
keywords, search for types of sites.
Some good results are:
 governmental
sites (site:.gov)
 educational sites
(site:.edu)
 organizational
sites (site:.org)

12. MC3 Libraries
Use Boolean tools to refine your search
…Part One
Exact phrase
Search an exact phrase by putting words in
quotes. “martin luther king”
And
In many databases you can search for material with two or
more ideas in common with the word “and.” Google
assumes the word ‘and’ between words

13. MC3 Libraries
Use Boolean tools to refine your search
…Part 2
Not
Not eliminates an idea from a search. The ‘not’ in Google is a
minus sign with no space before the word… “-earthquakes”
OR
Or in a search provides options. In Google the word ‘OR’ must
be in all caps.
Synonyms
Put a tilde before the word such as “~stress.” The tilde key is at the
top left corner of the keyboard.

14. MC3 Libraries
Can I Use Wikipedia?
Wikipedia can be helpful with your research,
if used in the right way.
Wikipedia Can be Used For:
 Finding general information
about a topic
 Picking up ideas and terms
about the topic
 Finding other sources from the
Reference list at the bottom
http://ohinternet.com/Wikipedia

15. MC3 Libraries
Wikipedia Should
NOT be Used for…
http://ohinternet.com/Wikipedia
 Citing in a scholarly
research paper
 Factual data as the main
source in your paper
 A source of unbiased
information

16. MC3 Libraries
Where can I find
the References in
Wikipedia?
Not all of these will
be reliable, but there
will be a lot of good
sources here.

17. MC3 Libraries
4 Tips to Evaluate
Websites
1.Look for the person
or organization who
created the site.
Research the author
to see if they may
have a bias toward
this topic
Source: http://www.hacktabs.com/tips-to-plan-for-a-custom-website-design/

18. MC3 Libraries
MC3 Libraries
4 Tips to Evaluate
Websites…
2. See if the website
expresses only one
side of an argument.
Biased information
will not give all
viewpoints and
sometimes may not
be accurate

19. MC3 Libraries
4 Tips to Evaluate
Websites…
3. Look to see if the
website cites any
other sources.
If no sources are
cited, the information
on the site may be
the author’s opinions,
not facts.
Source: http://blog.thinkwell.com/2011/07/citing-online-sources.html

20. MC3 Libraries
MC3 Libraries
4 Tips to Evaluate
Websites…
4. Look for a date
of publication
or an update
Outdated
information may
be inaccurate or
incorrect
Source: http://www.noodletools.com/guide/showme/web_site_advanced/8.html

21. MC3 Libraries
Reliable alternatives to Google…
•ipl2.org: Internet Public Library only presents sites
selected by experts.
•GoDuckGo.com: New search engine with fewer ads and
better results. You can use “site:” here too.
•WolframAlpha.org: Use this site to find statistics and
facts.

22. MC3 Libraries
Need photos, audio or video for
your presentation or projects
Try search.creativecommons.org where you can freely use
the materials resulting from your search. Keep an eye on
the license. Many creators want their name listed or may
limit commercial use and that’s only fair!

23. MC3 Libraries
Don’t Forget!
Through your MC3 Libraries website you can
access to hundreds of reliable, scholarly
resources!

24. MC3 Libraries
Let’s Review!
Please click on the correct answer to move to the next page:
Question #1: What is NOT one way to verify if a
site is reliable?
Check to see if the site cites other
sources
Check the author of the site
Check the title of the site
Check the date the site was published

25. MC3 Libraries
Correct!
A title may not truly match the content of a site. It is best to read through the
actual content and look at the bias, author, citations of other sources and
recent updates in order to determine whether it is valuable or not.
Move to Question 2

26. MC3 Libraries
MC3 Libraries
Incorrect
Return to Question 1

27. MC3 Libraries
Let’s Review!
Please click on the correct answer to move to the next page:
Question #2: What is something that Wikipedia CAN
be used for?
A resource to cite in a scholarly paper
Finding citations of scholarly
resources on the topic
A source of unbiased information
The main source of factual data in a
paper

28. MC3 Libraries
Correct!
Wikipedia is great for finding other scholarly resources on a topic, but it
should not be cited as a scholarly resource in a paper.
Move to Question 3

29. MC3 Libraries
MC3 Libraries
Incorrect
Return to Question 2

30. MC3 Libraries
Let’s Review!
Please click on the correct answer to move to the next page:
Question #3: Which of the following IS a boolean
operator?
And
True
Plus


31. MC3 Libraries
Correct!
And, Or, and Not are the boolean operators to help you combine terms,
choose one of several terms, or exclude terms respectively.
Move to Question 4

32. MC3 Libraries
Incorrect
Return to Question 3

33. MC3 Libraries
Let’s Review!
Please click on the correct answer to move to the next page:
Question #4: Your MC3 Library resources are more reliable
than Google.
True
False

34. MC3 Libraries
Correct!
Your MC3 Library is the best place to find reliable, scholarly
resources you can trust to help you with your research!
Finish

35. MC3 Libraries
Incorrect
Return to Question 4

36. MC3 Libraries
Need Help?
Visit, Call,
IM or Email
Brendlinger Library
(215) 641-6594
West Campus Library
(610) 718-1864
IM a librarian
refdesk@mc3.edu