Skip to Main Content

Music Foundations - Composer Project

Tools for Creating a Research Strategy

Planning Your Research

Developing Keywords

Tips & Tricks for Searching Online

Google Web Search

Not all Search Engines Are Equal

An article comparing two popular search engines - Google and DuckDuckGo - with pros and cons including different levels of privacy, speed, and accuracy.

How to Search on Google

Many articles from Google on how to do effective searches, including a form for doing Advanced Searches.

Wikipedia Do's and Don'ts

How to Use Wikipedia for Academic Research

1. DO read articles to get a general overview of your topic.

2. DO make a note of key concepts, vocabulary, issues, or people related to your topic.

3. DO scroll down to the end of the article for links to the References and External Sources sections to find links and references to scholarly and other reputable sources.

4. DON'T include Wikipedia in a bibliography. You don't know the credentials of the author(s) and it isn't usual to cite encyclopedias. 

Reading an article in Wikipedia is a legitimate start for your research and can be a helpful source for gaining familiarity with your topic, gathering key concepts, vocabulary, and issues related to your topic, locating scholarly articles, and kickstarting the process of helping you narrow your focus.