"My instructor says I can't use Web sources for my paper."

Ask your instructor to clarify this, because there are basically 'two Webs.' There is the public Web that search engines find, and there's the "invisible Web," Web sources the library buys that only the RDC community can use.

An article you find using an online article database such as Historical Abstracts also exists in a journal in print. It's just delivered via the Web by the library to facilitate research.

Go with the strengths of the public Web

• to obtain information on colleges, museums, non-profit organizations, or companies
• for very current information such as news, sports scores, weather, and stock quotes
• to research a well-known event or individual
• to use online job postings, shopping, auctions, or travel services
• for opinions on a topic

Stop and think! There are better places to look than the public Web

• to find articles in scholarly journals
• to find articles published in popular magazines
• to search databases that index articles in many academic disciplines
• to find books on your topic
• to locate the full text of articles or books that are copyright-protected