Often when we search the Internet, we rarely (if ever) think about the vehicle we use to actively navigate the web. What even is a browser, and does it matter at all? Short answer: YES! Not all browsers are created equally. Your computer comes standard with a browser, Microsoft Edge or Safari are the standards, however, with more ChromeBooks being used or issued, Google Chrome may actually be the default. The list below will include Chrome, because it still needs to be downloaded by most Mac or PC users, but the focus will be on some alternatives that may be worth your time to experiment with.
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Google Chrome is the benchmark for the Internet at the moment. The vast majority of websites are calibrated specifically for Google Chrome, extensions are built specifically for Chrome, and the list of benefits continues for this browser. Most notably for CUNE students is that our Learning Management System (LMS) Blackboard is optimized to this browser, with some functionality disappearing in other browsers. It's highly suggested that you abandon the browsers that come preloaded on your computer (Edge/Safari) and get Chrome, at least for using Blackboard if nothing else.
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Firefox has been in the browser game for quite a while, and is one of the more popular 3rd party browsers available. Recently, Firefox has doubled down on user privacy. They emphasize user privacy in a way that other bigger browsers don't, and have the stability and programmer support to offer extensions and features that keep your information secure. Definitely worth a look for the security conscious web searcher. User security and privacy will be a trend for the rest of this list. A bonus of Firefox is that it looks really good, and if you spend as much time looking at Internet browsers as we do, that matters. A lot.
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Brave is another very security minded platform that doesn't track your information or allow 3rd party applications to track you, as well. However, unlike Mozilla Firefox, Brave is built on Chromium, the open source framework that Google builds Chrome on. This means you can get Chrome extensions, or use most Chrome functionalities, in a non-Chrome browser!. Another major benefit of Brave is advertisements. This browser focuses on streamlining your browsing experience, so it has incredible advertisement blocking capabilities, which are customizable by you, the user. They provide a crypto-currency option that allows you to choose when you view ads or what content you would choose to view ads on. This crypto currency option then allows you to decide how that ad revenue is spent, and you can gift the currency to creators or sites that you choose. Have no idea what any of that means? Don't worry, you can turn off advertisements with the click of a button, and surf the web in a clean browser interface.
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- Opera BrowserThe big selling point for Opera is a free, built-in VPN. This service allows you to surf the web in an even more secure manner. Opera has a built in ad-blocker as well, and uses less computing power, because it streamlines the webpages you're surfing. It also has quite a bit of customization that can allow you to make your web browsing experience truly your own. Definitely worth a look.
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- Vivaldi Browser is like others on this list that ranks your privacy above other features. Blocking trackers, and ads is great, and makes for a nice browsing experience. This browser does have a higher learning curve, because of all the built-in features, however. Built in note taking and organizing features, split screen browsing, and fast action menu-trays make this a truly all in one browser that reduces the need for many open windows. There are tons of tutorial videos to help you out, but may not be for everyone.
Again, you will find success and failure in whatever browser you use, and your preference is just that. You will decide what features you like best, but remember Blackboard does work best with Google Chrome, so no matter what, if in doubt, make sure you at least have that to get all the benefits of the CUNE LMS.
All good searches have to start somewhere. And where you start might have big implications to where you end up, and what you find along the way. These search engines are not all of the search engines available, and are not necessarily endorsed by the library. These are merely tools which have various features and are available on various devices and offer legitimate results. Search engines are often personal preference decisions, so try multiples out and see what you like as a main engine, but don't lock yourself into just one option, vary it up and see what else might be out there.
- Google is synonymous with searching and finding knowledge these days. It's so omnipotent, it has even been verbed to
literally mean "find the answer." Google is the go-to resource for many, and for good reason. However, there are drawbacks
to using the same tool for all tasks, and Google is no exception. We encourage anyone doing a research project to start
with Google, but never let it be your only search tool. Which is why you're using this guide in the first place! Learn more
about how Google works by checking out our Research Toolkit guide
- DuckDuckGo has become a major competitor for Google to the "security minded." DDG's claim to fame is that they are a search
engine that doesn't track your information. One reason this matters, is because they must rank information based on factors
that don't include your previous search history or where you live, two major aspects to Google's
search algorithms.
So why use it? Privacy is nice, but it is also a great way to see if you're missing out on information that Google may have kept you from seeing.
- Bing is a solid search engine in it's own right, though is often forgotten or even maligned in comparison to Google. In truth, Bing is powerful, clean looking and is an amazing image search engine with very powerful image and video search capabilities. A big difference in the search algorithms of its counterparts, Bing also prioritizes older information from "more reputable" sources, which means your results might vary wildly depending on topic from another search engine.
- If Bing claims to be Google's direct competition, then Qwant is the challenger to DuckDuckGo. Another "secure" search engine that optimizes privacy in results. Qwant is actually a French search engine, which means it must adhere to a completely seperate set of rules put forth by France and the European Union regarding privacy of users. Not saying it's better or worse, but the rules are different over there. It's clean, fast, and definitely easy to use and pleasing to the eye.
Popular websites are popular for many different reasons, but key among them is often content and views. These sites are sites that may be helpful, but are also easy to get to, since most search engines will send you to these types of sites. As with any web tool, be skeptical and use critical thinking with every source you come across. Popular doesn't equal correct. With sites like these: authorship, timeliness, and audience are key things to pay attention to when deciding whether or not to use or quote a resource.
- Wikipedia is one of the top sites on most searches, and for good reason. Often we are told not to use Wikipedia because it is unreliable. Of course, information changes and gets updated, and is regularly policed, but that is true of any website. Especially older, established information, similar to what you'd find in a book, Wikipedia is a wonderful tool to begin searches. Laying groundwork and gaining basic information, names, dates, and surrounding context can be gained quickly, easily, and seamlessly with a tool like Wikipedia. Be critical, but that rule stands for any tool/website/resource.
- Google Books: is a great resource for finding print materials, especially old, hard to find resources, or books which you only need a section of. Google Books and Amazon are two resources which can find all sorts of materials, perhaps even ones you didn't know existed. Especially if your topic is dealing with older material or subjects, check here and see if you can pull materials without ordering or buying or leaving the house.
Google Scholar: is a "go-to" tool for many students when they need scholarly materials. Same functionality as Google but for scholarly articles and resources. However, the hangup is that results often end in a paywall blocking your access to what otherwise would be a perfect resource. Because of this, we highly recommend skipping this step and going straight into the Link Databases which won't result in the paywall. However, if you just want to see what's available, Google Scholar is a fine tool, like these others, and you can set it up to search some of Link library's databases as well. Learn how in the Login/Access guide.
- Any news website is considered a "popular" website, and the major channels and sites you know will often show up as top results in search engines, especially for new or up-to-date information. As with any of these sources, it's very important to remain skeptical and critical and verify what you're reading. Pop news sites are no exception, especially if the news is breaking, or an ongoing story, as details may change by the minute, or corrections are made at a later date. Use these with caution, but for some subjects or issues, these may be a wealth of information to act as a springboard. Always be wary of bias, and remember, they're writing for popular consumption, not for scholarly pursuits, so if they "cite a new study" it is probably worth your while to go find the study yourself, and not rely on their summary of the information.
The Internet has of various types of websites, and usually you can learn quite a bit from teh suffix of a website, at least traditionally. This section will hopefully explain a few of the more common "non-.com" website suffixes you'll come across
- These traditionally belonged to non-profit organizations. You'll want to dive in with some scrutiny, as these often can have a very strong bias dependent on what type of organization it is. Many scholarly articles are published in publications that are printed or available by .orgs, and you will find similar related content if you visit the parent organization's website. Various organizations may be the predominant association in a given field, and their ".org" site may be one of the authorities of a specific subject area. These are great places to search "About" pages and publications, as well as current "resources" and depending on your major, a great place to learn about standards or requirements for entering the field.
- Used for educational institutions. Kindegartens to institutions of higher education have .edu, and Concordia University Nebraska is no different (the library uses a different host system, which is why this site isn't .edu). If the material is from the administration or research center, then it may be more trustworthy, otherwise the general information can be input by a student worker, or just about whomever. Student sites, which may share the .edu suffix, but are wholely student created are often not monitored by the institution, which means you could find a student blog or project with a .edu suffix, but hasn't been vetted in any way. Same argument with instructors/professors. Let's hope they have a high standard, but be vigilant.
- These are reserved for Federal Government sites. All branches of the United STates federal govenrment use this domain, and is considered to be credible source. For example, the Library of Congress (loc.gov) is considered a great place to look for primary sources and historical documents of all types, and is a great place to look if your assignment requires materials of that nature.
Using all the tools and websites out there, there are still some things to keep in mind while surfing the web looking for information or research help. These tips are general guidelines for searching online.
- Search with the answer in mind, not the question. Rephrase your search to get the answer, instead of other people asking the same question, and hoping the answer is in the comments. Working backwards with the answer in mind will get you the information you're looking for, from better sources, most of the time. On the flip side, there are many sites designed to answer questions, so with that in mind, you can often see how other people have asked the same question or various ways in which the question may be answered, that may be a legit search tactic, depending on your search or needs.
- Start broad and narrow it afterward. You can jump right in to a database and pull information if you know what you're looking for and have your terms defined well already. But maybe you're just interested in gathering some basic information. Don't jump straight into the library website, gather some terms first! Google and Wikipedia will be go to sites just to gather basic info and gather your thoughts. These searches can help provide names, dates, and scope. Then once you have a basic idea of the who, what, where, and when, you can get more specific with tools that will provide information at appropriate levels.
- Gathered the same information from various resources? Good! Use them all! Don't just limit yourself and cite one, if it's information that you found in a couple places, all that you've decided are worth your time, then cite them as such in your work. It strengthens the information, and shows you actually pulled information from various sources. That's a good thing.
- The Golden Resource may not exist. Sometimes you're looking for an item that is from a reputable source, that explains your topic or issue from your bias, and will lay the foundations for all your research. Depending on your thesis or research topic, that resource might not actually exist. You have to pull from multiple sources and make the case in your paper, without one go-to resource. This is one of the ways you can judge whether your research topic is worth researching! Don't shy away because it's more difficult, lean into it and take on the challenge. Not all questions will have enough to write your paper about and you might have to rework certain aspects, but in today's world with the Internet at your fingertips, we often stop our research short of real insight. You can do it. Keep looking.
