# Module 1 : Introduction

Googling is like snorkelling - you just skim the surface
http://librarygrits.blogspot.nl/2010/06/databases-are-like-scuba-diving.html
Licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0 via Library grits

It isn't always easy to find your way in the flood of information. During this module, you will learn about the different types of information sources.

The problem with general search machines

The enormous increase in available information has fundamentally changed how we conduct searches. Thanks to general search engines like Google, you can read the newspaper, book a trip around the world and even find your life partner with a few clicks of a mouse. Yet using similarly popular search machines is problematic when you need to search for general and scientific information.

Were you aware that....

- Google indexes less than half the entire internet?
- the search results for a general search engine are not checked for quality and reliability?
- non-substantive arguments – based on commercial, statistical and nationalistic motives – determine the ranking of the search results?
- not all (scientific) information is available online?

To find all the information sources relevant for your subject, it is better to use the information sources that have been selected by the library staff