It may be tempting to think, "Isn't everything on the internet? Can't I just use Google and Wikipedia for my research?"

While Google, Wikipedia, and other internet sources can be useful, you don't want to exclusively rely on them for your research.

• Not everything is openly accessible on the internet. The UMD Library subscribes to and purchases high quality resources that are not freely available on the internet.
• Information overload: using a search engine, like Google, often means that you get thousands or millions of results. Library databases are organized in such a way that the results are more manageable. This allows you to find the best resources for your topic quickly.
• Authority & accuracy: keep in mind that anyone can create or edit an entry in Wikipedia. Anyone can create a website. How will you know if the author is an expert? How will you verify the information?
• Your professors want to see high quality, scholarly sources cited in your papers. Impress them by using library resources!

What's the best way to use tools like Google or Wikipedia?

• If you need background information about a topic before you research it, looking in a place like Wikipedia can be helpful. You can also find background information and overviews of various topics by using online encyclopedias at the UMD Library.
• Think of internet resources as a launching point to gain a better understanding of your topic, generate a list of keywords, and find additional sources.

A note on AI: Generative AI, like ChatGPT, is a not a reliable source of information. Instead of creating or synthesizing information, it is simply choosing the next most likely used word, and frequently results in incorrect information and made-up citations.

When searching on the internet, you'll come across a variety of source types: 

• News or magazine articles
• Blog posts 
• Website with content such as:
  • Government websites
  • Nonprofit websites
  • Company websites
• Social media posts
• YouTube videos 
• Open Access peer-reviewed scholarly articles

There's going to be some overlap between the types of sources you'll find online and the library, but there are sources that are provided through the library that you can't get elsewhere. For example, if you come across a paywall, the library can work with you to get access. These types of sources include:

• Books
• Peer-reviewed scholarly articles
• Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other types of reference sources
• Trade publications
• Documentaries 
• Primary sources
• Sources from other libraries shared through Interlibrary Loan