You can use the same search strategies that you learned when using ProQuest to search the web using Google as well. Google does a really good job of providing you key information on a topic.
We'll go to Google and type in "mental health ", and see what comes up.
There are three things you have to pay attention to when searching using Google. They are some of the same characteristics that we looked at when we were examining different information using the library. The first is Authority. That is, who created the information. With scholarly journals and books, we know that the author is usually a credentialed expert in the field. Not always the case with what we find using Google. The second characteristic is the content of the information itself, and whether it's accurate or not. It's harder to determine the accuracy of the information on a website, because most websites are self-published. With library information, most of it is published in books or in print publications. So the information from the library is usually edited or peer reviewed. You can rely on a certain level of accuracy with published information. The third characteristic is the purpose. What are they trying to accomplish by putting this information on the web? When searching on the web, this is the one you probably need to pay the most attention to.
So let's look at our search results. First of all, Google does a good job of predicting what you might want to know about a topic. "What are 5 ways to improve mental health?" "What should I do if I have mental health issues?" These are helpful ways to expand your search.
Let's look at some of the results that come up. Here's a website about Mental Health Awareness Month from an organization called NAMI. The url ends in ".org" which usually means it's a non-profit organization.
This looks like pretty good information. It seems to provide a detailed overview of Mental Health Awareness Month. But pay attention to our criteria. Let’s look at the authority. What exactly is NAMI? Let’s click on “About NAMI” at the top to learn more.
NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It's a group of advocates that work to raise awareness about mental health issues. While they seem to be doing good work here, the purpose of the information on here seems to be to inform, but also to possibly persuade you to join their cause, or even donate to it.
In fact, at the top of the page, there is a very prominent donate button. So just be careful you aren't finding information that is too biased.
A lot of search results on Google have the word “SPONSORED” or “AD” in front of it. Just be aware that somebody paid for these to appear in your search results, which is an indication of bias.
So Google, and AI based tools like Chat GPT, can be a useful way to find information. But using them for research assignments isn’t always the best approach. Your instructor will let you know when it is acceptable to find information from the web, or if it needs to be information from the library. The criteria you need to pay attention to are the authority, the accuracy, and the purpose.
Now, you'll get a chance to look at a website about mental health awareness.