Research Guide for Global Voices: Internet Resources
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Prepared by Elinor Appel NSCC Library (this will open in a new window) Class handout (print version)
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Searching the Internet
It's easy to find material online, but often hard to find the best material for your research. Use these search tips to retrieve better results:
Search tips
- Search your multi-word phrases in quotes: "things fall apart "; "greenbelt movement"; "hurricane katrina " etc.
- Try GoogleScholar - but don't be surprised if you can't find the full text (for full-text articles, search NSCC's periodical databases)
- Limit your search to websites published by educators by adding site:edu to your search string
- Limit your search to websites published by government agencies in the US by adding site:gov to your search string
- Limit your search to websites published in other countries: site:co.za (Country domains listed here.)
- Remove terms from your search results with a minus sign: paris -hilton
- Essentials of Google Search - tips for searching Google more effectively
Pathfinder Pages & Links
- Contemporary Post Imperial and Postcolonial Literature in English - brief articles and information from the University of Singapore
- When the Levees Broke, online reviews - Google search results including The New Yorker and The New York Times
- Librarians' Internet Index (LII) - "websites you can trust"
- International Newspapers via the Internet Public Library (IPL)
- Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi - BBC News source, includes links to related material
- Research Guide for Global Voices - old website, emphasis on India (see links on the right)
- Truth and Reconcilation Commission, "At a Glance" - BBC News Service
- Twain on the Web via pbs.org
- Wangari Maathai's acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize via democracynow.org
Evaluation tips
When you find a possible Internet resource, consider the ABC's of evaluation:
- Author - who published the page or website? Is s/he an authority or expert? How can you tell?
- Bias - what is the author's stance? Why did s/her post this information? Is this resource appropriate for a college paper?
- Currency - is the page or site updated regularly? Or was the page posted with little thought and no maintenance?
And a word about Wikipedia ...
More and more searches in Google end in Wikipedia. It's convenient, simple, easy to use, and at the top of many search-results lists. Unfortunately, Wikipedia is not an authoritative resource. Wikipedia's anonymous editors have been proved to be biased, and entries can be wrong. Reading Wikipedia is not doing college-level research. While it's an acceptable place to begin your research, don't stop there!
Last-minute Internet research is largely to blame for the increase in "cut and paste" plagiarism reported by instructors. How do they know? Instructors can easily check online if they think you have plagiarized. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to:
- Start your research early (good research takes time)
- Maintain a list of all the resources you look at , even ones you aren't sure you will need
- Know when, and how, to quote and cite your sources
Still unsure about when and how to cite? Start with this 10-minute tutorial from Vaughan Memorial Library
Use these guidelines for citing your Internet sources in MLA style:
- How do I Document Sources from the Web on my Works Cited List? (MLA.org)
- MLA handout (PDF)
- Works Cited - Electronic Sources (Owl at Purdue)
A citation generator:
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Knightcite (Calvin College) - online form to help you create citations
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