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Finding & EvaluatingWebsites

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Better Google results

Basic searches are oriented toward consumers. Instead, let’s find sites written by experts in their field.

Use “site:” to narrow results just to

the area you want to search.

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For example, search only governmental sites using “site:.gov”

Now we have expert results from the

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and

the National Institute for Mental Health.

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“Site:” can be very specific… We can use “site:ptsd.va.gov” to search

just within the National Center for PTSD at the VA.

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One of your keywords may be

“trauma.”

Here are results searching just the National Center for

PTSD…

“site:ptsd.va.govtrauma”

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Variations include…

• Site:.edu for university/college based websites

• Site:.org from organizations

• Site:un.org search just within United Nations websites

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More Google Tips…• Exact phrase: Search an exact phrase by putting words in quotes.

“post traumatic stress disorder”

• And: Google assumes the word ‘and’ between words

• Not: The ‘not’ in Google is a minus sign with no space before the

word… “-earthquakes”

• OR: The word ‘OR’ must be all caps.

• Synonyms: Put a tilde before the word such as “~stress” The tilde

key is at the top left corner of the keyboard.

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Try searching these sites…

• 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.

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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!

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4 things to look for when you

evaluate a website

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Author• Who is the author?• What experience and/or education

do they have?• Who is publishing the article?

Are they reputable? What is the organization’s purpose?

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Purpose• Why is the author writing the article?

• Sharing opinion or research?

• Objective or biased?

• What audience is the author writing

for? Professional or general?

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Relevance• Pick articles appropriate to your topic• Does the article support your paper?• When was the article written? • Is the source appropriate?• Is the author sharing their sources?• Do their examples support their

purpose?

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Source Types• Primary – Original

• Original creations or firsthand views of history including letters, photos, art, videos, autobiographies.

• Secondary – Filtered• Articles, reviews, biographies

• Tertiary – Indexed• Almanacs, guidebooks, databases,

manuals

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Need Help?

Visit, Call,IM or EmailBrendlinger Library

(215) 641-6594West Campus Library

(610) 718-1864IM a librarian

refdesk@mc3.edu