Google is very helpful...
1) When you are starting out with your research and looking to identify your SEARCH TERMS or KEYWORDS for a topic - or any issues related to your topic.
2) When you "Limit by Domain" in the Advanced Search area (See video tutorial to the right of this box): There are some excellent government (.gov), educational (.edu) and non-profit websites (.org) that can be very helpful to you. Information is retrieved quickly, but it is very important to identify (News, Blog, Editorial - what type of information is it?) and to evaluate the website host and the credibility of the information posted or shared on websites.
3. When you want to locate information in a particular format. Ex. >PDF, PPT, MSWord, Video, or Images.
...but BEWARE! You must EVALUATE SOURCES of information you retrieve from the web using the CRAAP Test (below). More specifically, evaluation ensures all of the information criteria is present so you can identify credibility and generate a proper citation for a document or article hosted or posted on a website, or generated by the website host organization.
COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT - make sure any information or image or video you share is "Free to Use or Share"
When searching for information online, visit these suggested websites for resources on your topic.
Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions. The linked projects below are among the newest.
U.S. and California
Nationwide Center of Education Statistics - Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Rates
California Population Data is taken from the latest data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. It provides statistics on population and congressional districts, including demographics, social, economic and housing characteristics by counties and cities in California. It also provides statistics on businesses, including types and sizes of businesses and building permits.
FirstGov is the official web portal for the U.S. government, providing access to information on the U.S. government and its services. It covers topics such as benefits/grants/loans, businesses/non-profits and immigration/citizenship and provides access to government agencies' websites (federal, state, local and tribal).
GPO Access - Higher Education: Find Federal Government information through the Federal Digital System which “provides free online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.”
Public Policy Institute of California - Higher Education: provides non-partisan information on social, economic and political issues in California focusing on climate change/energy, correction, economy, fiscal/governance reform, health and human services, higher education, K-12 education, political landscape, population and water.
Occupational Outlook Handbook is a guide to career information about hundreds of occupations. For each occupation, it provides information such as educational requirements, job responsibilities and working environments, salaries, and job outlook.
