The academic databases which you will use at university are designed to help you find reliable information. While most databases are only available to members of universities, they are similar to the freely available electronic resources listed in Module B. 

In contrast, general information sources like Google are not designed for academic work. The websites they find can be of variable quality and accuracy, so it is important that you evaluate them carefully.  Can you tell who the author is and whether they are a trustworthy expert on the topic in question? You will remember that academic sources are peer-reviewed before publication, but this does not apply to most general websites. If you take information from general websites, you need to verify it against more authoritative sources. 

If you search general information sources such as Google and you identify websites which appear useful consider the following points: 

• Are they well-structured and easy to navigate? 
• Is the information factual or opinion?
• Is the content appropriate to use in academic work? Are there obvious errors (for example spelling errors) or inconsistencies? 
• Is the information based on research? Does it provide details of sources which back up the information presented?
• Consider the intended audience. Who is the website written for?
• Does the site have an obvious bias, e.g. disparaging, or even defamatory of a person, organisation, religion or political party?
• Can you tell how up to date the information on the website is?
• How does this site compare with others on the same subject?   
• Check the website’s address, which may provide an indication about the author or organization which has created it. Websites from universities will often end in .ac.uk or .edu. Government bodies will often include .gov (e.g. .gov.uk or .gov.ie). Each organization will have a different reason for publishing a website. For example, a university site is likely to be more academic than other sites. 
• Beware of hoax sites and those containing fake news.