Not all the information you find on the web is trustworthy or relevant to your research. It is important to evaluate the web sources you use, using criteria such as currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and the purpose for which the information was created.
Examples of web sources that are generally considered useful for research are:
Some examples of web sources that are generally considered unreliable or irrelevant for research are:
It is necessary to be critical when finding and evaluating sources, and to compare and contrast different sources on the same topic to make sure you are getting a balanced and comprehensive view.
| STOP |
Ask yourself what you know about the website - do you trust the source? Keep in mind the type of information you need, don't click on links aimlessly. |
| INVESTIGATE | Do a quick search on a search engine or Wikipedia to find out about the publisher or creator of the website content. |
| FIND | If a website makes a claim about something, can you find other sources that agree with or disagree with the claim? Is there a consensus about this information? |
| TRACE | Try to find the original source of the information, to check whether it has been edited, adapted or stripped of context. |
Google Scholar looks and feels like Google Search, but the results are different because it searches scholarly papers instead of general websites.
You can link Google Scholar to DkIT Library's resources to make it easier to find material we have available.
To do this in Google Scholar, click Settings, then click Library links. Type in "Dundalk Institute of Technology" and click the Search icon. DkIT should appear in the list. Put a tick beside it and click Save.
