Google is, by far, one of the most helpful tools on the internet. From its ease of usage to its quick response time with millions of items pertaining to a search, it proves to go above and beyond.
However, Google usage often enters a danger zone in matters of academia. Many professors worry about the abundance of non-reputable sources and non-academic based writing their students will cite in their papers as a result of the student googling their paper topic and clicking on the first thing that comes up. (Hey, we’ve all been there; it’s an easy trap to fall into.)
With this problem in mind, I’ve complied some helpful tips and advice for finding sources beyond and outside of the first page of Google results. With these tips, you’ll be armed and ready to tackle academic research head on and say so-long to Google.
The Librarian is Your Best Friend
Most Universities have library collections with thousands of applicable sources on any given topic. They hire Research Librarians, who specialize in different subject areas, to help students and libraries gain the materials they need. The Librarians’ goal is to give the University’s collection a diversity of materials ranging in times, view points, topics, and authors.
At most Universities, DePaul being one of them, Research Librarians are available for student access. Through a Reference Desk, a chat service, or even through email or appointments, Reference Librarians are there to help students navigate collections and find the sources they need. They are a personalized Google that can actually converse with you!
But I Don’t Want to go to the Library
If you’re like me (and many other students), going out to the library (especially in this crazy winter weather we’re having) can be a bit of a drag, or just impossible to fit into your schedule. No problem! With modernization, most libraries have been digitized and put online, making resources available for viewing from anywhere in the world. By using the “Find” tab along the top of DePaul’s Library webpage, one can easily search any of DePaul’s databases by entering key words to pull up relevant sources.
Some sources, depending on their type, can be accessed online, while others are available only at the library. For the sources only available in hard copy in the library, all of the information for where to find them and if they’re available for checkout is online as well. Also, if you’re having any trouble, just ask a librarian which, as I mentioned, you can often do online!
At DePaul, the “Ask a Librarian” feature on the Library’s website allows you to quickly start an online chat with a Research Librarian to help answer your questions. The sidebar of the DePaul Library website also has other means of contacting the Librarians if you’re not into online chatting, including calling, texting, emailing, or making an appointment.
Is It Worth The Effort?
All of this may sound like a lot of work, so you might be asking yourself if it’s worth putting in that much energy to doing truly academic research. The answer is typically a resounding “yes.” While it may be initially faster to do a quick Google search for sources, it is difficult to sift through the thousands of results you’ll get to find the few reputable sources that would actually be accepted by a professor. Sure, there are filters on Google, such as Google Scholar, but the amount and variety of sources not pertaining to your desired topic can be innumerable. So, ultimately, you’re putting in just as much (or more) effort into sorting through Google’s thousands of results to find the academic ones as you are by starting off with an academic, library-based search in the first place.
This is not to say Google hasn’t revolutionized the way people retrieve information or doesn’t have any reputable sources. Because of course it has, and it does. This is just to say that one should be cautious when using Google and be open to using other means of researching to find the academic sources you need for your papers.
Plus, once you get the hang of it, academic or library-based research is just as easy as Google searching and, in my opinion, produces much more fruitful results. You can also be sure that the sources you’re using are appropriate and specific to your assignment when you search through the library for your research materials. (That’s a huge weight off my mind for when I’m writing my next paper!) So, with a greater quality and quantity of sources found through library-based research, you can see how many of the burdens of paper writing can be lifted. Hooray!