Find Web Sites - CMPSC 201 - General Computer Literacy (Goreff) - Research Guides at Modesto Junior College Library

Use the Web for Research

Search the Web

Use Google Scholar to find academically-appropriate Web sites.

Selected Websites

Electronic Privacy Information Center
EPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Advocates for and litigates on technological issues involving privacy, free speech, freedom to innovate and consumer rights
National Security Agency
The NSA uses technology to gather information and "gain a decision advantage for the Nation and our allies under all circumstances."
Privacy and Surveillance - American Civil Liberties Union
Privacy today faces growing threats from a growing surveillance apparatus that is often justified in the name of national security.
Atlas of Surveillance
The Atlas of Surveillance is a database of the surveillance technologies deployed by law enforcement in communities across the United States. This includes drones, body-worn camera, automated license plate readers, facial recognition, and more.

Use the CRAAP Test for Credibility

Finding information today is easy; it's all around you. Making sure the information you find is reliable is your challenge.

When you use Google or any social media to get your information how do you know it can be trusted? How do you know it's not biased?

You can feel pretty confident that books you get from the library and articles you find in the library's databases are reliable because someone or some group has checked all the facts and arguments the author made before publishing them. You still have to think about whether or not the book or article is current and suitable for your project but you can feel confident that it is a trustworthy source.

Make sure that each and every source you plan on using in your paper or research assignment passes the CRAAP test.

For more information on evaluating your sources, check out our CRAAP Test: Evaluate Your Sources guide.

Evaluate Your Sources Using the CRAAP Test
To read an accessible version of this infographic click on the link.

Watch the brief video below to see how this works.

Search Smarter

You don't want to wade through millions of Web pages. By using a few tricks, you can focus your searches relatively easily to those authoritative, reliable sources you want to use.

Use key search terms - Use the same search terms you used successfully to find books and articles.
Know your search tool - Use advanced search features to control your search. For example you can limit your search in Google to just search government or educational Web sites by limiting to a specific domain. Learn more at Google for Researchers.
Use search tools you can trust - Google Scholar indexes scholarly literature on the Web.

You can search Google Scholar below:

CMPSC 201 - General Computer Literacy (Goreff): Find Web Sites