 Google is great for background research. If you want to know more about one of your key concepts, just type it into a Google search and hit Enter. Wikipedia can be a great source for an overview of a concept you feel you don't know much about. Usually you won't be able to reference Wikipedia in an assignment, but you can find definitions as well as alternative terms, which might help you when you're searching the catalog and databases. Some articles will be quite long, so scrolling down to the contents can help you locate useful information. The contents will give you a good idea of what is important in relation to the concept. This article contains some information on adolescent mental and physical health, which seems highly relevant for my assignment. I can skip to this section by clicking on the link. Again, I usually won't be allowed to use any information from Wikipedia in my assignment. However, being better informed may help my search. I may also be able to use the information that is referenced within a Wikipedia article. It is also possible to perform a Google search for specific kinds of information. After my keywords, I type site colon gov.au to see information published on Australian government websites only. Doing this allows me to locate more credible information than performing a keyword search alone. If you choose to use something you have found on Google in an assignment, you should always assess the quality of the source. Ask yourself the following questions. Who created the information and are they suitably qualified to be writing on the topic? If the information has been made available by an organization, are they recognized and trustworthy? What is the purpose of the information? Is its goal to inform, persuade, entertain or to sell a product? For some research topics, the timeliness of the information presented will be important. When was the information created? And finally, does the information meet the needs and requirements of your assignment? Look at your instructions carefully to ensure you are not using information that is considered out of bounds to your tutor. Google can be a great tool for research. Just make sure that you evaluate any information you find to ensure that it is reliable and suitable for your assignments.