Falls Church High School Library Website: Research Tips

Google has no idea what your search words mean. It looks for web pages where those words appear. 

Read about how Google's search algorithm works here. 

Use lateral reading to check your sources for reliability. Open another tab and research your source author and website. Watch this video to learn more if lateral reading is new to you! 

Evaluate websites with Google.

Stop
Investigate the source
Find other sources with the same information
Trace back to the original source to understand quotes

Primary Sources:
These are original materials of an event, created by someone who experienced or witnessed the event in question.

Secondary Sources:
Secondary source materials interpret, assign value to, and draw conclusions about the events reported in primary sources. These are usually in the form of published works such as journal articles or books, but may include radio or television documentaries, portraits, paintings, or conference proceedings.
 

Which Is Which?

Ask yourself:

• How does the author know these details (names, dates, times)? Was the author present at the event or soon on the scene?
• Where does this information come from—personal experience, eyewitness accounts, or reports written by others?
• Are the author's conclusions based on a single piece of evidence, or have many sources been taken into account (e.g., diary entries, along with third-party eyewitness accounts, impressions of contemporaries, newspaper accounts)?