Skip to Main Content

CEL100 Educational Strategies for Student Success: Internet

Not finding what you need?

Try one of these options:

Ask a Librarian

Chat with a librarian here! 

You can also connect via text message at 619-592-8884 or by email.

Searching Smarter

 

Smart Searching Using Google

Indicator

Purpose

Example

 site:

 Find information from a certain site

 site:www.pointloma.edu

 define:

 Find definitions for a word

 define:collegiate

 filetype:

 Find only one kind of file

 filetype:PDF

 -word

 Eliminate results with particular words

 college protests -vietnam

 “word

 Find an exact word (no plurals/synonyms)

 “generation exploit

 “multiple words

 Find a group of words in exact order

 “No Child Left Behind

 Navigating Your Results

 [Cntl/Command]+F

 Find a certain word on the page

Hold down Control/Command and letter F. Enter the word you’re searching for in the box that appears.

Evaluating Websites

Consider Quality...

Authorship

Does the site/document have an author? What are the author's credentials? Why should you trust this author as an expert? 

Publisher/Sponsor

Who sponsors or publishes the source? What evidence demonstrates that the sponsor/publisher is credible? What purpose/perspective does the sponsor seem to promote?

Currency

How recently was the information posted or modified? Could it be outdated or obsolete?

Credibility

How do you know that the information itself is trustworthy? Are there links to other sites/sources to support factual claims?