Question

Explain the steps you take to complete an Internet search. Do you use a particular search engine every time or do you alternate? Which search engine do you prefer? Why? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a search engine versus a metasearch engine? Discuss how you determine if a source is credible based on the author/author credentials, date of publication, domain, bias, and works cited/links available.

Answer 1

1. Personally, I always use the same search engine, which is Google. I once opened Bing mistakenly, but obviously returned to Google immediately. Google is my preferred choice because I've used it for such a long time that I've gotten so used to it and cannot change it. The other search engines don't look as appealing to me as Google.

2. Some advantages would be definitely the format of the information you get from a search engine as opposed to the metasearch engine - sometimes, the metasearch engine cannot provide you with complete results or even complete sentences, so you may be left with illegible texts. On the other hand, metasearch engines can give you so much more information than regular search engines.

3. If the credentials seem legit, based on particular rules as to how to write sources used (such as Chicago style, APA, etc.), then you can safely assume the source is credible. If the author wrote everything necessary in his text (especially works cited/links available), you can usually trust that source.