How to Research: A Tutorial

Where to start

When you need to find websites, where is the first place you go on the Internet?

Google, right? Thought so.

Google is a quick, easy, and convenient search engine for finding all kinds of information online. However, when doing research, you may not always find the best websites with a basic Google search.

Consider using some of the alternatives listed below.

• Google Advanced Search
  <http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en>
  From Google’s homepage, you can select Advanced Search to make your Internet search more precise. For example, you can limit your search to websites that were updated in the past 24 hours, websites that have your keyword in the URL , or websites that are similar to another website.
• Google Directory
  <http://directory.google.com>
  The Google Directory searches websites that have been selected by volunteer editors and categorized by topic. You can browse the categories if you are unsure exactly what website you are looking for or if you want to see what websites are related to a particular topic. Searching the directory can give you results that are more relevant to your topic, and the websites have been evaluated by an editor.
• Librarian’s Internet Index
  <http://www.lii.org>
  This is a directory of websites that have been reviewed and selected by librarians. Although your search will not retrieve as many results as other search engines, the websites are often more reliable and up-to-date because they are constantly being reviewed. You can also browse the categories to find websites about a particular subject area.
• Internet Public Library
  <http://www.ipl.org>
  This is another directory of websites that are reviewed and selected by librarians.
• Yahoo! Directory
  <http://dir.yahoo.com>
  This is a directory similar to the Google Directory, but powered by Yahoo.
• Library Research Guides
  <http://library.raritanval.edu/researchguides>
  The RVCC library provides research guides about a number of topics. Each research guide includes a list of Internet Resources that have been selected and evaluated by the librarians for authenticity and accuracy. Select a research guide that is relevant to your topic and you will find links to several websites at the end of the guide.