You will probably conduct the majority of your research online (whether at home or in a library). But conducting research online involves more than just Googling your topic and seeing what pops up. Instead, get the most out of your online research by knowing the types of resources available online and how to best use them (see Table 13.2).

Although popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo! help you find information quickly, they can also create information overload. For instance, if you are planning to persuade your audience to improve their sleep habits and you enter the search term “sleep habits” into Google, you’ll get more than 43 million links. How do you know where to start? Evaluate the information quality of the links, choosing only those sources that have real value for your speech. For example, among the links produced by the Google search, many are selling medication or books. Avoid such sites; if the site is selling you something, it is likely to include biased information. Sites ending in .com can provide quality information if they are objective, such as articles from reputable newspapers and magazines.

Sometimes the most popular sites (those that appear at the top of the search results) aren’t the best to use for research purposes. For example, Wikipedia’s popularity is driven by the vast amount of material available on the site as well as its high visibility through search engines (Rainie & Tancer, 2007). It is often the first stop for many people doing research online. However, Wikipedia has its critics, especially in college and university settings. Such critics claim that Wikipedia is not always accurate and that it’s too easy for contributors to include biased or incorrect information. Some academic departments even ban its use for student assignments (Educause, 2007). Before using any Web site in your research, make sure it is trustworthy and fulfills the research requirements of the assignment.