Using Google 

Once you join your university you will be expected to use academic information sources, such as catalogues and databases. Until then you will mostly have to rely on general search tools, like Google. Below is some guidance on how you can search them effectively:  

• Identify keywords to search for. If you are unsure about how to identify useful keywords for your search topic, go back to the section Searching step by step at the beginning of module C . 
• Phrase searching: You can use double quotation marks to search for two or more words together which form a phrase (e.g. “social media”, “cognitive behavioural therapy”). 
• Sometimes it can be useful to limit your search to specific web addresses which are likely to have useful information. For instance, if you are looking for information which was published by the UK government you can exclude any non-government pages from your search results by adding site:.gov.uk to your search words. Do not leave a space between site: and the web address. 

 For more information and other search options which can help make your Google searches more effective, have a look at Google’s Advanced Search 

Using Google Books 

You can use Google Books to search for information about books. You may be able to read brief previews of the books you find, and you may even find some books which you can read cover to cover, but these tend to be older books which are no longer in copyright. If you find a book which looks relevant to your search topic, and the section you need is not available to read on Google Books, take a note of the book’s title and the name of its author. These details will help you check if you can get the book from your library. 

For more information and other search options which can help make your Google Books searches more effective, have a look at the Advanced Search page 

Using Google Scholar 

Your university will subscribe to a range of academic journals, and you will be able to access them once you enroll. If you need to access journals and journal articles before you have completed your enrolment, you may be able to find them by searching Google Scholar. Often Google Scholar will only provide information about articles (such as the article title and the author’s name), but sometimes you can find links to entire articles. However, please note that you may be asked for payment, if you wish to read certain articles. If you are a member of a library, check if it provides free access to the articles you require.   

Not all publishers allow Google Scholar to search their content, so your search results may not show you all existing research literature on your topic. 

While studying at university, Google, Google Books and Google Scholar should not be your first choice for finding information. Turn to your university library’s catalogue and databases instead, to find high-quality academic sources. 

Use other general information sources with caution: 

Not all general information sources are appropriate for academic work. A good example is Wikipedia, which provides content written by volunteers who may not be experts in the topics they write about. You should not quote from Wikipedia in your academic assignments. 

If you choose to find information on Wikipedia, always check if the facts and information you read can be backed up by other, more authoritative, information sources. Many Wikipedia pages have sections of “References”, “Sources” or “Further reading” which may help you identify more reliable sources on the subject you are researching.