For many of us, Google or other search engines are a quick option to help us get a sense of a topic or issues.
When you are using a search engine like Google you want to be extra careful, though. Google provides easy, fast, and approachable information, but it comes with its own flaws. You may have already seen some information in another module about what some of the things are that you should consider when using Google, but here it is again for reference.
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Google Pros and Cons
Pros
Pro – It’s quick and easy. Most people have Google close at hand, no need for logins of extensive revision of search terms.
Pro – It’s familiar. Most people are used to making searches on Google all the time so it’s comfortable.
Pro – Great to familiarize yourself with the topic and get a basic understanding of a larger body of work.
Pro – Great for readily available information like government reports or business documents.
Pro – Good for finding recent, local, or personal information.
Pro – Interesting to compare what research says to what’s comping up in popular sources.
Cons
Con – It’s a “black box” of information. Google searches everything on the internet. You will get millions of results. Most people don’t look past the first two pages.
Con – There’s no quality control. Anyone can put anything online. Often results don’t include sources, authors, or other key information to help us determine the validity of the source.
Con – Advertising is a big part of Google. The top results are not necessarily the best information.
Con – It’s difficult to limit your search results so you end up with many irrelevant items.
Con – Items may come up in a search but that doesn’t mean you can actually access them.