Search engines such as Google can be useful tools when conducting research. However, we need recognize that some material that you find on the internet isn't appropriate for college-level writing. Because search engines crawl the web for everything from blogs to commercial websites, your search results will most likely deliver a lot of "clutter" most of which will not be useful for your paper or project. However, there are ways to narrow your searching to find credible information on the web. The following link will take you to an Ivy Tilt module on how to evaluate websites. By spending just a few minutes going through these exercises you'll be able to understand how to use critical thinking skills when it comes to selecting information found on the internet.
http://ivytilt.ivytech.edu/modules/using-the-web/
You might also find the following worksheet useful when trying to determine if a website is a reliable resource for your research and writing: