Finding Sources Basics: What About Google?

Finding Sources - Basic: What About Google?

Google and other free search engines allow you to easily enter keywords or even a question to search online content and get millions of results. 

When it comes to finding sources to use in your academic papers, Google can be a great place to get started; however, it also has drawbacks. The infographic below illustrates Google's pros and cons as a search engine for academic purposes. 

 

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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.

 

Downloadable versions:

Google Pros and Cons (Word Document) Download Google Pros and Cons (Word Document)

   Google Pros and Cons - Infographics (PDF) Download Google Pros and Cons - Infographics (PDF)

 

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While Google can get you many, many, many (!) results, not all are appropriate for academic papers. It will take time to sort out the reliable sources from the unreliable. And, companies and individual authors sometimes pay Google to make their content show up first on the results list.

Many academic results, and even news articles will not be available for free - you'll be led to publisher sites and asked for subscription login information. If this happens, don't buy anything, contact the library for help to find the source or a similar one!  

However, you may be able to find good non-academic sources such as government information or news, to give you background information on a topic as well as to provide you with expert content to argue for or against in your paper.

Keep in mind the requirements your instructor has put in place for your assignment, as well as other questions to help you evaluate what you're finding on Google, such as:

• How many peer-reviewed articles do I need to include in my references?
• Am I allowed to have non-peer-reviewed sources, and how many?
• Who published this article or web page?
• Why was the source published? Is it a way for the author to push their point of view, or is it selling me something?
• When was the material published?
• Is this the best source I can find for my paper?

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Google Tips

You can use the strategies you learned for Summon when searching Google, such as combining keywords with AND, and putting quotes around a phrase. Google also has filters for date ranges and News results.

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You may have also heard of Google Scholar, which does allow access to some academic articles for free, to learn more about how we recommend folks use that option see Module 4:  Finding Sources - Advanced: What About Google Scholar?

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Activity

(Need the worksheet? Finding Sources Basics Worksheet (Word Document) Download Finding Sources Basics Worksheet (Word Document)

Open two internet browser windows side by side. In one window, open Summon. In the other window, open Google Links to an external site.. Try the sample search: fracking AND “climate change” AND effects AND “British Columbia."

On your worksheet, answer these three questions.

5. What are some differences you notice about the format of the results lists?
6. What are some differences you notice about the types of materials coming up in your search results?
7. When might Google be appropriate to use for this topic?  When might Summon be the better option?

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