This is where you can just use Google, Bing, Dogpile, etc. to search for information. There are amazing, credible resources on the Web, but YOU have to judge their value for your paper or project. Remember, anyone can publish anything on the Internet - there are no filters, editors, or evaluation of quality or facts on these pages.
See the Evaluating Resources Section of this Guide
One good way to narrow your search to more credible resources is to identify the host. Use the following in your search: SITE:HOST (Even using this search technique, the first couple of hits may be ads)
| .EDU | Educational site | Educational sites tend to have credible information |
| .GOV | Government site | Government sites tend to have credible inforamton |
| .ORG | Organization site (usually non-profit) | Organization sites tend to have a certain bias |
| .COM | Commercial site | Commercial sites tend to want to sell items |
| .CA .US | Country codes | Country codes (e.g., CA = Canada) tell you the originating location |
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To get the results you want, limit your Internet search with the following: AND SITE:DOMAIN. For example: HYPERTHYROIDISM AND SITE:EDU (this will limit your search to Educational institutions) MEDICARE BENEFITS AND SITE:GOV (this will limit your search to Government Agencies) |
Understanding how the web is structured will help you get to the information you need. Notice that only 4% of the web is free, and 90% is behind security walls. We pay for the Library databases so they are behind a security wall where you need to log in to access them.
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Surface Web The information found on the Surface Web is freely accessible and searchable with most web browsers.
Deep Web Information located in the Deep Web is sometimes searchable via web browsers, but the full content is usually hidden behind a pay wall or is password protected to restrict use to certain people or organizations.
Dark Web Dark Web information is typically encrypted and not intended to be easily accessible. Sometimes the information is encrypted for legitimate reasons, and sometimes it's encrypted to hide illegal information or sales. Part, but not all, of the Dark Web is searchable via Dark Web browsers.
Used with Permission from UCSD: https://ucsd.libguides.com/CAT3 |