So, you think you know how to find things online? Just type in a keyword, and you'll get everything you possibly want, right?
Yeah, that doesn't work for anyone else, either.
Here are a few tips.
First, and most important: Remember that internet sources are not as reliable as print sources. Some may be perfectly fine, others utterly bizarre. There's no mechanism in place to sort that out for you, so you have to make sure that anything you find on the internet is backed up by other sources. When anyone can post, a lot of errors can get through.
Not everything you find via the internet is necessarily an "internet resource." Your library card gets you access to the full text of many magazines, newspapers, and journals through our Electronic Resources page, and those are as reliable as any other print sources. To learn how to use these, check out Secrets of the library: Electronic Resources.
Use Advanced Search options. Most search engines have an option for "Advanced Search," which allows you to narrow your search by extra keywords (or exclusion of keywords), by type of site (you could search only in .edu sites, for instance, to find university research), or by particular sites (eg, you could limit your search to the Boston Public library site to find something you know you've seen here). These are powerful tools which will eliminate most of the useless hits you'll get on a straight keyword search, and save you a lot of time.
Always look for opposing viewpoints. They will help you make a judgment about the information you're using. If you are using Wikipedia, click on the "discussion" page (second tab on the top of each article) to see what controversies have occurred in the editing--is there a question about the neutrality of the point of view? About the facts in evidence? About the sources cited? These are important things to take into account when judging an internet resource. (Wikipedia is a fine source to begin with if you know nothing about a subject, but always check other resources, including the article's stated sources, before using it for a paper. Open editing means that errors will get through.)
The more specific you are in searching, the more likely you are to find what you're looking for. Searching Google for "birds" will get about two hundred million hits, some dealing with our feathered friends, others with a rock group, and still others with the British slang for "girls." Looking for "Great Auk," on the other hand, will get you pages much more likely to be about the specific bird you're looking for. (And if you are looking for something very general about birds, you would do better to use an introductory book than the web.)
Use quotation marks for phrase searches, or the search engine will pick up any time any of the words in question are used. Keep it narrow, and you can find what you want!
Search Engines: