When you do a Google search, Google will sometimes provide an AI Overview at the top of the search results. This is a summary of multiple search results and is comprised of numerous individual sources.
The AI Overview by itself is not a source and should not be cited as such.
To evaluate information found in a Google AI Overview, click on the link icon within the overview to expand the information. It will show you a list of the individual sources that were summarized to create the AI Overview.
Evaluate each source carefully for credibility and usefulness. Generative AI (used to create AI summaries) has been known "hallucinate" - or provide incorrect or nonexistent content in response to a query. Hallucinated content can include made-up "facts," citations, code, and more.
While Wikipedia is not an authoritative source to cite on its own, it can be a good tool to lead you to better, more authoritative sources. Look at the references listed, evaluate those for credibility, and determine if they meet your needs.
As with any research project, the first step is to identify the kind of information you need. Knowing what kind of information you need will help you plan your research, use the right search tools, and locate relevant sources.
Your information need will be the same for all of your speeches: find sources to support the topics you present.
Where are you most likely to find the information you need?
Search Engines (internet browser like Google or Safari): Popular sources like news and magazine articles, government sources, videos, general internet articles. Some information may be behind a paywall, including quality news sources and sources from Google Scholar.
Library Databases: Popular sources like news and magazine articles, peer-reviewed sources, reference sources, biographies, primary sources, videos, statistics. Full text is available for thousands of database sources.
As you research your speeches, it's important to consult a variety of sources and engage with diverse ideas. This helps ensure that your information is:
Choosing the right kind of database at the beginning can make your research more efficient.
These search strategies can help you in any database you use. Using the right keywords can affect how relevant your results are.
Strive for a list of results that is manageable so you can look through them all. If you have an overwhelming number of results, try revising your search by changing or adding keywords or applying different limiters. Revising your search might also mean trying a different database.
Start with a broad search of your topic, then add keywords as you continue searching.
For example:
"endangered species"
"endangered species" AND habitats
Take notes about any new keywords or ideas you identify and continue searching.
When searching Google, try these search tips for best results:
While searching a specific domain can be helpful, remember that the domain does not determine the credibility of the information. It only tells you what kind of website it is.
When evaluating a website for credibility, evaluate the content within the site: