Google

Home Page and Quick Links	Module 1 Steps of Research	Module 2 Research Strategies

Google  (Links to an external site.)is a great place to begin your search. You can get authoritative, reliable information from Google by limiting your search to a particular domain.

This page will introduce you to Google's three core domains – education, organization and government.  The examples below are based on the topic - should student athletes be paid. 

• To get the education perspective for your topic - how it is treated in a school setting, i.e. university, college, high school, elementary school (issues dealing with programs/students/faculty) – use the .edu domain –

site:edu pay student athletes pro con

• To get the perspective from associations or other non profit agencies use the .org domain –

site:org pay students athletes pro con

• To get the government perspective – how do the different government agencies view your particular topic or issue - use the .gov domain

site:gov pay students athletes pro con

Try these domains to see what thought-provoking results you can find on your topic.

This is a quick and effective way to find information.  However - be vigilant and pay attention to the source of the information.  What are the author's credentials?  What are the credentials of the organization - are they biased? Is the data current? Do links work? Is there a bibliography of sources used? Carefully examine each site.  Information from government agencies and organizations is usually reliable and authoritative, but you still need to be pay attention and critically evaluate each source 

 "Tips & Tricks" for searching the web - Better Searches Better Results