Homework Help

Dodgy sites can waste your time. They can sly a way to the top of a search engine, even when you're looking for something completely different. Second, they can present themselves as a legitimate site, with official sounding addresses and try to make you believe that their information is accurate. This section will help you avoid falling for the traps.

Using the internet for research

The 1st step is to decide what you need the research for. Think about how it will sit in your own work. Are you looking for facts or opinions? Do you need to support an argument or present one? Knowing where you're coming from will help shape where you end up. Don't forget, if you've found it on a search engine, then so can your teacher.

Keyword searches

Doing a general subject search can be a waste of time, so think about what you really need. Imagine an article already written about what you're looking for. Now type 10 keywords from that article. To change the results, simply add or reduce the number of keywords.

Find a keyword quicker on the results page

• Press Ctrl + F to bring up a search dialogue box
• Enter the word or words you're searching for
• Press the continue button until you find that word on the page

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.

The key is to cross check the info you find

• Open a new browser window by pressing Ctrl + N
• Take keywords from the found information and try a new search
• Compare the information with at least three sources

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