Dodgy Time Wasters
There are two main ways that dodgy sites can waste your time. They can sly their way to the top of a search engine, even when u r looking for something completely different. Second, they can present themselves as a legitimate site, with official sounding addresses and try to make u believe that their information is accurate. This section will help u avoid falling for the traps.
Using the internet for research
The 1st step is to decide what u need the research for. Think about how it will sit in your own work. Are u looking for facts or opinions? Do u need to support an argument or present one? Knowing where u r coming from will help shape where u end up. Don't forget, if u've found it on a search engine, then so can your teacher.
Using Keyword searches
Doing a general subject search can be a waste of time, so think about what u really need. Imagine an article already written about what u r looking for. Now type 10 keywords from that article. To change the results, simply add or reduce the number of keywords.
The web is huge, and it's easy to get lost in the billions of pages out there. A keyword search is not always the best way to get at the good stuff. It's almost guaranteed that it will throw back a few sites with misinformation.
