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Library Guides

English & Creative Writing

Using the Internet

As a research tool the internet should be approached with some caution, but it can be a good source for grey literature.

Most people use search engines when looking for information on the web. 

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 What it does find can be biased, out of date or often just wrong.
  • It may bring you the largest number of results – but they are often irrelevant or poor quality. Quantity is no substitute for quality.

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

Here are some good quality websites specific to English that you may find interesting or useful.....