Google Tips &
Website Evaluation
Website Evaluation
4 step Get REAL process about a web site:
R = Read the URL
E = Examine the content
A = Ask about the author/owner of the site.
If you don't know who the author/owner is, Google the author or use Whois Lookup or the Wayback Machine to try to find out about the website creator/publisher.
L = Look at the links
You should be able to answer these questions for most websites:
Is the information on the site helpful? (yes / no)
Does the site have resources / links? Do the links work? (yes / no)
Is the site up to date? Can I tell when it was last updated? (yes / no)
Is the information correct? (yes / no)
Are the facts different from information I have found elsewhere? (yes/no)
Google tips to become an expert (re)searcher! OHS Library Top Tips:
Avoid stop words: use keywords as opposed to sentences. Example:
Use Quotes: by putting quotes around the words in your search, Google will look for words in the exact order you type them in
Boolean basics: Use + - may help refine your search. Example "Pay it forward -movie." Using words like AND, OR, NOT (in all uppercase) may also help refine your search. Example: crime AND poverty.
Tilde (~): Using a tilde (~) with a search term will bring you results with related search terms. Example: Lou Gehrig's disease ~ALS.
Domain: consider limiting your search to a specific domain like .gov or .edu. Use the "site:" command. Example: Scottsboro Boys trial site:.gov
Don't assume singular/plural is included. Example: cake OR cakes
Filetype: Looking for powerpoints? PDFs? Search just for a particular file type using the "filetype:" command. Example: Civil Rights filetype:ppt
Host: limit a search to an extension like .gov
Link: search for pages that link to a URL by using the "link:" command. Example: link:orangeschools.org
Related: to find web pages that have similar content, use the "related:" command. Example: related:wikipedia.org
Similar: to find web sites that are similar to a URL. Example: similar:nasa.gov
Site: search within a particular web site using the "site:" command. Example: recession site:nytimes.com
Source: Looking for photos? For example, search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, add "source:life" to any Google image search and search only the LIFE photo archive. Example: civil rights source:life
Before starting your research with Google, consider using:
Before starting your research, consider using:
The Orange High School Library research databases
If you must use Google, learn Google's search features:
Google Guide (for beginners to experts)
The "Filter Bubble"
Watch Eli Pariser's TED Talk: Beware online "filter bubbles" (video embedded above)
Read the Washington Post article: What you don't know about web algorithms is hurting you (and you probably don't know very much)
Research Survey (4 questions to assess your research savviness)