Google Advanced searching

Google Advanced is a good way to discover government reports and statistics.

You can use Google Advanced to build more comprehensive searches and also narrow your results to specific domains, e.g., .gov.au

Watch the video below to find out more about Google Advanced searching.

Video Google Advanced by SCCCLibrary and used under a CC BY license.

It is important to note that not all the of the information you find on the Internet is accurate, up-to-date and reliable.

Therefore, it is important to evaluate your information before you decide to use it in your assignment.

Ask yourself:​

• Authority - Who is the author? What is their point of view? 
• Purpose - Why was the source created? Who is the intended audience?
• Publication & format - Where was it published? In what medium?
• Relevance - How is it relevant to your research? What is its scope?
• Date of publication - When was it written? Has it been updated?
• Documentation - Did they cite their sources? Who did they cite?

Always check the URL of a website to determine what type of site the information is coming from:

.edu.au : an educational institution

.ac.uk : a UK academic site

.gov.au : a government body

.org : an organisation

.com or .co. : a commercial site

.net : a network

This will help you determine if it published by a reputable author or organisation.

For further information, refer to the tab on 'Evaluating Information.'