Paul Ross

Librarian & information specialist (ARIIA)

It’s quite amazing to think, at our fingertips, we have access to more information, than any other generation before us. Online technologies like the internet, provide access to search engines and websites, enabling us to type in keywords or questions, which in turn provide results signposting us to information that deliver answers to our individual needs. The sheer diversity of online content means we can access a broad range of content across sites such as:

• Local (.au / .uk / .us) 
• International (any region) 
• Commercial (.org / .com) 
• Governmental (.gov) 
• Educational (.edu) 

We truly have ‘the world at our feet’ and at our fingertips. Yet with great power, comes greater responsibility. For example, what do we already know about our search? Should we trust the answers to it? What will we do with the information as a result? All these questions matter greatly when using online knowledge to make decisions, especially if the answers affect our own or others’ lives. Yet somewhere in between running a search and expert knowledge, lies the pitfalls of information quality and the potential for information overload, running alongside a nagging hunger for quick and relevant answers to our needs. These invisible motivational factors of purpose, time, and trust, all play a crucial role in seeking information online.  

Whether you’re a consumer or family member looking for information to support care decisions, or a worker seeking to find information surrounding a particular care topic, you’ll want to know what to trust and where to find it easily. At Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) within the Knowledge and Implementation Hub (KIH) we have created a variety of ways for you to access information easily while providing additional tips on how to find your own, saving you time and effort, when seeking research that matters to your information needs.  

By detailing the main sources of information collection such as search engines, databases, and organisational websites we provide advice, and helpful tips and tricks to make your searching a smooth and rewarding experience. We will be presenting three further blogs on searching. The first will look at how to use search engines effectively by managing results to ensure that the numbers are not overwhelming. We will also have a specific blog on looking at organisational websites and evidence collections, detailing what to look for about the quality of information and how to use it in your broader aged care search. In our third and final blog in the series, we will look at databases for aged care, by understanding some of the key issues in finding information related to aged care and how to find the information you need in the quickest ways possible. So, join us in our next blog and find out more about searching for research and information into aged care.  

Until then, if you’re a care worker and want to learn more about skills in finding information on aged care topics, try our Innovator Training Program. Or, if you’re a consumer, student or professional and want to know some of the basics surrounding evidence-based change, try our innovator essentials series.

To visit our next blog in the series, on the subject of searching online on using search sources, visit our search sources blog.

*The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.