Google is fast, easy to use, and excellent for finding up-to-date information on current events. But is it the best tool for finding sources for a university writing assignment?
Using Google for academic assignments: What you need to know
While Google offers a vast amount of information, the quality varies widely – some is reliable, some is questionable, and some may even be false.
Google is undoubtedly useful for getting a general first overview of your topic. However, for finding scholarly articles and books for your assignments, it’s best to use specialized library databases. We'll explore these resources in Modules D and E.
Google Books is a full-text searchable collection of millions of scanned books. The books in Google Books come primarily from publishers and libraries. While you won’t find the latest fiction bestsellers here, Google Books offers a wide range of titles that can be highly relevant for academic research on nearly any subject.
Google Books offers different levels of access for each book: Full, Limited, Snippet, and No Preview. Refer to the Google Books Help guide for detailed instructions on how to use this resource effectively.
Why is Google Books useful?
Unlike standard catalogs that restrict searches to basic details like title, author, or subject, Google Books enables you to search the full text of books. This makes it easier to find out whether a book includes the specific information you need. If a book on Google Books isn’t available in full view, check the library catalog to see if library owns a copy.
Google Books typically provides more reliable and credible results than Google search because its content comes from traditionally published books. These traditional works, typically undergo editorial review, making them trustworthy for academic purposes. In contrast, Google indexes the entire surface web, including blogs, personal websites, forums, and commercial pages, where the quality and accuracy of information can vary greatly.
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