Internet Searching Skills

Internet No quality controlNo quality control Constantly changingConstantly changing Use general strategiesUse general strategies

Subject Directories Organized by subject or topicOrganized by subject or topic Examples: Yahoo! Is supported by paid advertising and if no results are found it will then automatically search in Alta Vista.Yahoo! Is supported by paid advertising and if no results are found it will then automatically search in Alta Vista.

Search Engines Search the web for a certain word or phraseSearch the web for a certain word or phrase Each search engine is slightly differentEach search engine is slightly different Try different ones…Try different ones…

Used the mostUsed the most EffectiveEffective DependableDependable Identifies paid sponsors’ linksIdentifies paid sponsors’ linksGoogle

Allows quotation marks "working mothers"Allows quotation marks "working mothers" Easy to use tabs news, images....Easy to use tabs news, images.... Advance searching and spelling fixesAdvance searching and spelling fixesGoogle

Ability restrict to specific sites & file types "windows XP" site:microsoft.com "chemical fires" filetype:ppt Google

Searching Strategies Become familiar with the topicBecome familiar with the topic Choose search termsChoose search terms Select subject directory or search engineSelect subject directory or search engine Use advanced searching techniquesUse advanced searching techniques Limit search by language, date etc…Limit search by language, date etc… Try and guess possible web addressesTry and guess possible web addresses

Boolean Operators AND, OR and NOTAND, OR and NOT Should be in upper caseShould be in upper case Use the “( )” to list the order of operationsUse the “( )” to list the order of operations

AND or “+” Retrieve sites that have both search terms Does not mean that the terms are together

OR Retrieve sites that contain one or both words Used to connect synonyms

NOT or “-” Retrieve the web sites that may not contain the word you specified

Advanced Boolean Operators "Near" search for words within of each other Example: sheep NEAR/10 dip"Near" search for words within of each other Example: sheep NEAR/10 dip "ADJ" searches for words that are right next to each other but in any order"ADJ" searches for words that are right next to each other but in any order

Advanced Boolean Operators "FAR" searches for words that are more than 25 away from each other"FAR" searches for words that are more than 25 away from each other "BEFORE" works like "AND", except that the terms must follow the specified order."BEFORE" works like "AND", except that the terms must follow the specified order.

Ranking and Relevance Most relevant pages are listed firstMost relevant pages are listed first Number of times the terms appearNumber of times the terms appear Location of those wordsLocation of those words How many link to that site?How many link to that site?

Evaluating Web Pages What does the web address tell you?What does the web address tell you? Is it objective?Is it objective? Look at the web address carefully ~, %, members edu, gov, org, com, caLook at the web address carefully ~, %, members edu, gov, org, com, ca

Evaluating Web Pages Look for author information and date. If there is no information present on the site one can the author.Look for author information and date. If there is no information present on the site one can the author. When was the information last updated. Undated factual information is no better than anonymous information.When was the information last updated. Undated factual information is no better than anonymous information.

Evaluating Web Pages Look for quality information such as footnotes, links, altered information and well chosen resourcesLook for quality information such as footnotes, links, altered information and well chosen resources What do others say about this site? One can look up the author in Google, as well as, search the web site and find out who owns it. use alexa.com or link:URL in GoogleWhat do others say about this site? One can look up the author in Google, as well as, search the web site and find out who owns it. use alexa.com or link:URL in Google

Evaluating Web Pages Does it all add up?Does it all add up? Why was the web site created?Why was the web site created? Does it make sense or is it a parody?Does it make sense or is it a parody? Is it the best resource for my project?Is it the best resource for my project? If you are unsure of the web site feel free to askIf you are unsure of the web site feel free to ask your teacher or a librarian. your teacher or a librarian.

Why Evaluate? Cheap or free to put information on the netCheap or free to put information on the net Need to tell the difference between good and bad sources of informationNeed to tell the difference between good and bad sources of information Need to evaluate the information you findNeed to evaluate the information you find

Google Books books.google.combooks.google.com Material is supplied by publishers, authors and universitiesMaterial is supplied by publishers, authors and universities Mostly books but some articles are includedMostly books but some articles are included For more information:For more information:print.google.com/googleprint/about.html

Deep Web, a.k.a. “Invisible Web” There is an invisible web you cannot seeThere is an invisible web you cannot see Most of the deep web is made up ofMost of the deep web is made up of specialized databasesspecialized databases Use databases and Google Scholar to find this information scholar.google.comUse databases and Google Scholar to find this information scholar.google.com

Reminders Remember to cite your sources!

Bibliographyhttp://library.loyno.edu/pubs/research/search_web.HTM#introhttp://