Art, Design and Architecture

As a research tool the internet should be approached with caution. It should be a supplement to your academic endeavour and not a replacement for it.

Most people use search engines when looking for information on the web. Google, for example, is very well known - the most widely used and one of the better search engines for coverage and use.

However:

• It can only search what is sometimes called the 'surface web'. It cannot reach many academic articles which are usually held in subscription only databases - the sort your library purchases - so you may miss a lot of useful information.
• It has no editorial function – it simply finds things. What it does find can be biased, out of date or often just plain wrong.
• It may bring you the largest number of results – but they are often irrelevant or poor quality. Quantity is no substitute for quality.

This is true of all search engines. Different search engines will search different parts of the web. Although there will be overlaps, they will all unearth some different results.

We now also have various AI platforms to contend with. These should also be treated with caution and you should exercise critical thinking on anything you may find on an AI platform, in the same way as you should with anything else on the internet.

Have a look at this Quality of Information section from our Library Skills Guide to learn more about critical thinking and evaluating the information you find.

There are some good quality websites specific to Art, Design and Architecture that you may find interesting or useful, under the main menu tabs on the left.