Use the advanced search: it lets you limit your searches by domain names,allowing you to choose to avoid commercial sites, choose sites from a specific country, or retrieve only sites from non-profit organizations, for example. Cutting down the huge numbers of items you retrieve will save you time!
Use Google Scholar if you want only scholarly writings. Many, though not all, of these will have been published in journals or books, not just on the Internet.
Never pay for an article online without talking to us first! One of the downsides of using Google is that you may think you have to buy an article that's available through the USM libraries. You can set up Google Scholar to display USM's journal holdings (see below) or access Google Scholar via our Databases A-Z list so that you will be authenticated as a USM user, but when in doubt about journal access, check with the library staff.
Because there is no authority control for the Internet, it is important to evaluate sources critically. The following sites offer helpful criteria: