FSEMs: Fall 2025 and Spring 2026

Library Databases

• Best for academic research and assignments.

• Offers peer-reviewed articles, primary sources, eBooks, and full-text access.

• Use advanced search tools and filters to narrow by subject, date, or source type.

• Requires login with university credentials.

• Results are vetted, cited, and reliable — ideal for college-level work.

Google

• Best for general background information or locating public/government websites.

• Can lead to primary sources (like .gov or .edu documents) with smart searching.

• Results are ranked by popularity, not reliability.

• Use source evaluation skills — lots of misinformation or opinion pieces appear.

• Limited access to full academic articles — you’ll often hit a paywall.

Google Scholar

• Great for finding academic articles, books, and citations.

• Not everything is free — many articles are behind paywalls.

• Search results can include preprints, predatory journals, or unreviewed work.

• Use with library databases to get full access where available.

• Check citations with a librarian — they may not always be accurate or complete.

Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT)

• Best for summarizing topics, brainstorming, and drafting ideas.

• Can help explain complex concepts in plain language.

• Not a source — it doesn’t cite real documents unless you ask specifically, and even then citations may be incorrect.

• Information may be outdated, biased, or just wrong — always verify.

• Don't use it as a source unless your instructor allows it.

Wikipedia

• Great for quick overviews and starting research.

• Use it to understand a topic, identify keywords, and find sources listed in references.

• Anyone can edit — so it’s not reliable for citing in academic work.

• Good for background but not for quoting or relying on facts alone.

• Always trace claims back to original sources listed at the bottom of the page.