PSY200 Kraska

With a few tricks, you can get relevant search results in one try using Google.

Learn how to set up this advanced Google search below.

We all use it - now let's learn to use it better!

1. Use quotation marks around your search terms to search for the words in the exact order you would like, instead of separately.
   
2. Use intitle: to retrieve webpages with your keywords in the title of the webpage.
   
3. Use site:. to retrieve webpages from URLs in the domain (.gov, .edu, .org) you specify.  
   
4. Use - (a hyphen or minus sign) in front of words to exclude them from your search results.
   
5. Use OR in between words to have either or both of the words included in your search results. OR must be capitalized. This is a good way to search for synonyms.
   
   In the above example, Google will find results that include (election AND fraud) and (voter AND fraud).
6. Use filetype: to retrieve specific types of files (instead of html webpages). Works for finding most file types.
   
7. Use several strategies at once for very specific results.
   

Great question! A good source is credible and relevant to your topic.

• Credibility can be tricky to determine: is this information biased? Who wrote it? Are they an expert? When was it published? What is the publication, and does that publication have a good reputation? Why was it published: to inform, persuade, entertain, etc.? Does it cite its sources? Ultimately it is up to you to determine using research and your own critical judgement whether a source is good or not.
• Relevancy can be determined if the resource helps you learn more about your topic. The resource should be understandable to you; not so hard to read that it is hard to understand. The resource should help you answer some aspect of your research question.

CCC Library provides many resources to help with finding "good" sources. Resources available through our library catalog & databases are generally "safer" than random internet searching. Starting your research in the catalog will help you find books, eBooks, and articles from newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals. If you’re just getting started, try Gale Virtual Reference Library / Gale eBooks – the academic version of Wikipedia! Once you find an article you like, check its references for more, then use the CCC Library Catalog to search for the citation.

CCC Librarians are here to help you with this exact question, too. Stop by, call us, email us, or chat with us online. We're happy to help!