PAID 112 Section 09 - Garcia (Spring 2024)

In this section, you'll find:

• Tips for finding primary sources on the web
• Newspaper and magazine archives
• Select web archives
• More general tips for searching the web

For many of your topics, your primary sources will be contemporary social media accounts, memes, fake news articles, and other ephemera. It can be hard to search for these resources if you're not already connected to the communities that produce and share them. Here are some tips to find fake news:

• Find articles about the specific fake news phenomenon that you are researching. These might have embedded images that you can you. The may also refer to specific message boards, subreddits, Facebook accounts, etc. that share these sources. 
• Remember to protect your privacy and computer security as you search. Use incognito mode to visit sites. Be wary of clicking on links. 

Here is an example of an article on from a reputable source that can lead me to potentially useful primary sources:

Additional Primary Source Collections

Visit the Preus Library Primary Source research guide to find a wide variety of collections, organized by time period and format:

• Primary Sources at Preus Library

Get the most out of your search engine.

Google tips and tricks

1. To search within a particular website or domain, use site:
   • ​​For example, site:edu or site:gov 
   • You can be more specific too, such as site:wordpress.com or site:nytimes.com
2. Phrase searching works in Google, too.
   • For example, "higher education" or "test scores"
3. Remember OR from above? That works in Google, too.

Burst your filter bubble

Filter bubbles cause us to browse the internet in a way that aligns with our beliefs and biases and narrows our point of view. Search engines and websites collect data on your habits so that they can show you information that you agree with and ads that will interest you.

So, how can we burst the bubble and see a wider variety of information?

1. Try Chrome in Incognito Mode so Google doesn't show you personalized results
   • Click the vertical three dots in the upper right corner of your browser window and select "New incognito window"
2. Try DuckDuckGo, a search engine that doesn't collect data on users or show personalized results

Fact check

Find a claim that you're not sure about? Fact-checking sites can help. Here are a few that are trustworthy: