Sometimes, you can't just Google it...

      So, you’ve got a big assignment due for your class, and you have a lot of research to do, but where do you start? Naturally, you might turn to the internet to do your research. The internet is a big and informative place, full of great information that might have been otherwise out-of-reach for some students, like you, but it can be a little overwhelming and hard to navigate at times, so here’s a few helpful hints from SweetSearch.
    
     Sometimes, the internet isn’t always the best place to start. Check to see if your school has a database of specialized search engine that can be sued to sift through material already in your library. These may be harder to use but will most likely provide you with a more specific and useful source. Also, consider asking a librarian, a teacher, or a friend if they know of any website or databases that can be of any help. This can save you a lot of time, because you won’t have to sift through all the junk that comes up through a typical online search. (SweetSearch n.p.) DACC’s own 1Search through the library is an excellent place to start. 

 

Screenshot by Kaleb Smith

****The link to the 1Search DACC Library page is: http://dacc.edu/library/

     Using a school-based database will provide you with already vetted information and credible sources, and you will be able to more accurately eliminate unwanted sources, like this:

Screenshot by Jaquonte Sanford

Using an online search engine, however, will return with results that are not suitable for college level work, such as Wikipedia, videos, photos, or non-credible work, such as this:

Screenshot by David Ames

     Specify what you’re searching for. Don’t include nonessential words, make sure grammar and spelling is correct, and try to search for the term most likely to appear on a website. For example, don’t search “what to make with chicken,” but rather “chicken recipes”. Certain terms and punctuations can also adjust the way the search engine will search for terms and phrases. Here are links to a few search engines’ help pages.

Google: http://support.google.com/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=136861
Bing: http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-us/bing/ff808438.aspx
Yahoo: http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=content&y=PROD_SRCH&locale=en_US&id=SLN2242&impressions=true
Ask.com: http://about.ask.com/en/docs/about/search_tips.shtml


     Check when the source you found was published originally, not just when it was uploaded. As events unravel daily, something reported last week may be found inaccurate the following week. Stories change quickly due to new discoveries with technology so a source's information may instantly become false within weeks, days, and maybe even minutes, so it's a good idea to check when the articles were originally written. (SweetSearch n.p.) This NY Times article was published on February 17, 2013, but appeared in print on February 18, 2013

Screenshots by Kaleb Smith, Jaquonte Sanford, and David Ames

This is not an extreme example of time difference, but in some cases it may be, so it’s always a good idea to check.

       When searching online, through a database, or other by other electronic means, follow the ten minute rule. If your search does not get you any useful or valuable information within 10 minutes, stop, reevaluate your search phrase, and then either revise it or consider using a different search engine. Most commercial search engines may turn up similar results, but the differences between them may be the source you were looking for. Checking results and comparing them between multiple search engines can help to find the best sources and find which search engine is most suited for you. (Carlson n.p.) Here are some common and not-so-common search engines you can use.

Image retrieved through Google Images and used through a creative Commons license.

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 Hi, my name is Jaquonte Sanford and I am a current freshmen at Danville Area Community College. I wanted to write this blog because this is something that I would of benefited from knowing. 

Hey, my name is Kaleb Smith. I'm 16 and a Dual Enrollment student here at DACC. I'm currently a Junior at Westville High School. I wanted to write this blog because this is something that I know can help a lot of people and is an issue that many people deal with when they are trying to research anything, not just school work.

Hi, my name is David Ames and I am a current freshman at Danville Area Community College. I wanted to write this blog post simply because it is something that people do not spend a lot of time on and it has a impact on the quality of the papers we write.