There are now over 1 billion websites on the Internet according to figures by online Internet tracker Live Stats! However, 75% of people never go beyond page one of their search results, which only provides 10-20 webpage results. So...how does Google determine which 20 of the billions of individual web pages to display?
Google is a useful tool for Academic Research, but you must be sure to use your critical thinking to help you locate CREDIBLE content online.
Most Google users only focus on the first one or two pages of search results. This tends to work fine with our personal research, for example, searching for a nearby restaurant or looking for an item to purchase. Google's algorithm is designed to improve relevant search results so that we aren't having to go too far in our search results to locate websites to help us in our daily lives.
This approach does not typically work as well when conducting Academic Research. We must become more CRITICAL in our thinking to ensure we are utilizing acceptable resources for academic projects.
This guide will help you better use Google for your Academic Research, primarily by becoming more familiar with the tools and resources available online.
