COMM 120: Public Speaking: Using Google

Google can be a useful tool for finding resources on current events. It takes less time to publish something on the Internet than it does in print. However, because there is no editor-in-chief for the Internet, it is important to search carefully, and to evaluate the types of information you are finding.

When you are searching the Internet using a tool such as Google, pay attention to the type of language you are using. Are you using formal language or casual language? Are you using enough keywords to find what you are looking for? What kinds of sources are you pulling up? Can you trust those sources? Critical thinking skills are necessary if you are going to use Internet resources.

Google Scholar can be a handy way to find scholarly items located both within our library resources and free on the Internet. You can configure Google Scholar to highlight those items available through Woodbury University Library.

• First, log into Google Scholar
• Click on the three lines in the upper-left hand corner of the screen
• Click on the link for "Settings"
• Click on "Library Links"
• Type in "Woodbury University"
• Click in the checkbox
• Click the "Save" button

Whether you are using a website found via Google or an article discovered on a database, it is important to evaluate your source and make sure that it is valid and trustworthy. One way we can evaluate sources is by using the acronym SIFT.

S = Stop

I = Investigate the source

F = Find other/better coverage

T = Trace claims, quotes, and media back to the original source.

Here is more information on SIFT.