Searching the internet through Google or another search engine can be a useful step in the search process. You can use it to:
- find background information on your topic
- find effective keywords
- locate materials not often held within databases (such as reports)
That you need to be careful selecting online sources goes without saying. Anyone can upload information to the internet and some of the information that you find will be biased, inaccurate, misleading, or out of date. However, as long as you evaluate the information you discover, you may also find that you unearth useful information and different points of view, leading to a richer understanding of a topic.
There are many strategies for evaluating your sources, but one that we as librarians recommend is the RADAR Method. RADAR is an acronym that represents five criteria that should be on your radar as you read through a source:
- Relevance: How is the source relevant to your topic? Think about how you would use this information.
- Is it a source of background information? Does it contribute to or affect your argument and, if so, in what way? Does it support your argument? Refute your argument?
- Authority: How does the source establish its authority?
- Who wrote the source? What tells you they are authoritative? What are their credentials? Is the source well-known or respected? Does the author draw authority from experience?
- Is other information available about them (e.g., from Google?) Does knowing the authority of the source help you make a judgment about the accuracy of the information?
- Even if you have doubts about the authority of the source, does it contain links to other authoritative or helpful sources?
- Date: When was the source last updated or published? Is the publication date important to you?
- Is the information outdated? Has later research or information affected or disproved this source? Does the source contain ideas or language that are no longer acceptable? Are there important dates that relate to your subject?
- Appearance: How does the source present itself?
- Are there advertisements? Is the information presented in a serious and professional way? Does the source have citations and references?
- How is the writing? Is it written in formal, academic language? Are there spelling errors or grammatical errors?
- This one is a quick gut check—does the website look shady to you?
- Be careful, though! Appearance can be very easily faked, so keep an eye out and always get a second opinion if you’re unsure. Librarians are pretty good at this, so feel free to ask us!
- Reason: Why was this source written?
- Was the source written to make an academic argument and/or add to the body of knowledge on a topic? Was it written as part of an ongoing debate, to counter an opposing claim?
- Is it biased or propaganda?
- Note: a biased or problematic site may still be useful to you; the key is to recognize its bias or limitations.
- Was the source written to sell something? Was it written to entertain? Or for some combination of these reasons?
