Using the Internet For Research North Delta Secondary School Library

Internet and World Wide Web Introduction to the Internet Internet and World Wide Web The Internet vs. the World Wide Web The Internet is system of networks connecting millions of computers around the world. The Web is a hypertext based collection of computers on the Internet that allows you to travel from one linked document to another, even if those documents reside on many different servers.

The Facts Studies show that people who spend five or more hours a week online average an astounding 71% of their time searching for information. Over two-thirds report frustration with the time they waste.

Research and the Internet Looking for information can de a daunting task because the Web lacks formal organization. It's been liken to a library with seventeen different catalogs and millions of books that get shuffled around every night. North Delta Secondary

The Internet as an Information Source There's little or no quality control on the Internet. Practically anyone can place a site on the Web. Ease of uploading combined with relative anonymity increases the numbers of untruths and non-expertise sites that may appear Internet has NO standard indexing system No “direct” searching of other computers - access to search tools only Search tools search is limited Information on the Internet is driven by machines called “spiders”

Why Evaluate Web Sources? No regulatory organization Anyone can publish almost anything on the Internet.

Internet and Research Learning how to search the Web effectively will not only help you locate your specific information but it will also save you a lot of wasted time "surfing" irrelevant sites. Identify the web site by checking the domain name: org, com, uk, gov. educ Examine for credibility Determine depth and scope of information Assess date of information Go to http://www.deltasd.bc.ca/nd2/library/Library11/analyzing.htm

Types of Web Pages Entertainment pages Personal web pages Political / Interest group pages Commercial pages Educational pages Biased pages Hoax pages

Search Tools Search Engines Meta-search Engines Subject Directories Information Gateways Specialist Databases

What is a Search Engine? Search engines are huge databases of web page files that have been assembled automatically by computer programs called spiders or robots

Search Engines Search engines are entirely automated No human intervention, which means that among the gigabytes of data they gather may be useful bits of information. There are thousands of search engines on the Net, Compiled by spiders (computer-robot programs), mechanically building database of references Matches searched-for keywords with words in full text of selected web pages Number of pages searched ranges 10% to 90% of the web Good results are as much about understanding search syntax as the scope of the engine’s coverage Good For: Precision searches, using named people or organisations, searching quickly and widely, topics which are hard to classify Not Good For: Browsing through a subject area

Types of Search Engines Google and Alta Vista are the most useful search engines for beginning searches. Google, Altavista, and Teoma access the greatest percentage of the World Wide Web--only around 15-16%. Webcrawler Dogpile will search through several search engines at once. A collection of search engine links is available at the web site: weblens.org

Meta-Search Engines Skim-search several search engines at once Usually reach about 10% of results of each engine they visit Cannot perform advanced-style searches which use engine-specific syntax Good For: quick search engine results overview, doing simple searches with 1 or 2 keywords Not Good For: comprehensive results from a complex search

Some Major Meta-search Engines Metacrawler Excite Dogpile! Ask Jeeves! Search All in One C|Net's Search.Com Mamma Vivisimo/Clusty SurfWax

Information Jumplists and Gateways Doorways to massive collections of similar information on a common theme, jumplists and gateways are the buried treasure of the Web. Massive collections of links on various aspects of a single subject. They typically lead to a concentrated collection of information stored at one location, or branch out to a finite set of similar sites. The Internet abounds with gateways: to schools, libraries, museums, hospitals, corporations, government etc. Usually searchable AND Organised into hierarchical subject categories Compiled by people, not robots: More focus on sifting for relevance and quality Good For: topics that fall into a thematic area that has a subject directory, guided browsing in your subject area Not Good For: Quickly finding information from widely varying themes

Information Gateway Examples Some Typical Jumplists Internet Mental Health Links Lynda's Web Design Links Sheryl's Star Trek Links Some Typical Gateways Library of Congress Library Search Gateway ThePaperboy Newspaper Gateway America's Job Bank State Government Gateway ASAE Association Gateway World Wide Web Virtual Library http://www.vlib.org/ SOSIG (Social Science Information Gateway) http://www.sosig.ac.uk/

Specialised Databases estimated 500 times larger than the visible Web Also known as the “invisible web” pages of content not reached by robots Statistics, schedules, maps, figures Dynamically generated content, powered into pages on demand Searchable Entry pages can be found using other search tools Good For: Gathering specific kinds of data Not Good For: Browsing through a subject area

Invisible Web Research Tools Librarians Index to the Internet (look for Databases) Library of Congress Online Catalog CompletePlanet Turbo 10 IncyWincy Search Invisible-Web.net Gary Price's Direct Search Adobe PDF Search MedNets Medical Database Gateway MedBioWord: Science & Medical Journals & Databases Argus Clearinghouse Internets.Com WebData ProFusion There are many databases of information which are accessible by web users but not by the robots that compile the indices for search engines. This type of information forms what is known as the “invisible web”. It is not contained in conventional web pages, but is dynamically generated content, that gets powered into web pages by databases, when it is called for. It is called “invisible” because it is out of the reach of the “spiders” and their search tools. You may find links to this kind of content in information gateways/subject directories, but on the whole you need to know where to access the databases themselves to find information within them. They are generally searchable using standard search boxes, and vary in how advanced and elaborate your search can be. Good If: You know where to find one which deals with your area of interest. Not Good If: You are searching more broadly than the remit of the content of the database concerned.

Use Search Tools to your Advantage Search Tools can help you to identify sources that will provide serious information, products or services, or entertainment.

Choices: Use the Right Search Tools Pick the right search tool for your research needs. Yahoo and AltaVista will help you to distinguish between different categories of web sites. Google, however, locates information based upon the popularity of the site. Teoma will help refine your search Refine your search whenever possible.

Match the Right Tool to the Query Try and match the right tool to the type of search query you are working on. Think about the way that the tool will work on your query and re-phrase the query to get the most out of the tools. Try a variety of tools - use general tools to find subject-specific ones.

Limit your Keyword Search It is a good idea to read the instructions for each search tool to maximize your search. Use words like AND and OR to limit your search and get more specific information.

Phrase your Query The basic principles of Search Syntax are the same for most search engines, but details can vary Narrowing parameters: “” , +, - “NHL Hockey Players” +NHL +hockey +players +Canucks +coffee -cup -cotton Complex Boolean searches OR, AND or +, NOT, “….” Wild Cards educ*

Identify the Web Site Critically examine the site for integrity – who wrote it? What is the purpose of the site? Who is the audience of this site? Is it a commercial site trying to sell a product? What is the authority or expertise? What else comes up when you type the author’s name into a search engine? Can you collaborate the information?

Identify the Web Site Whenever possible, try to locate the home page. You can often do this by eliminating some information from the end of the URL. .org .gov .com .net .edu .us .au .uk

Is it Credible? Does the site provide a bibliography? Look at the root of the URL? Are there links to other legitimate sites? Can you contact the people / organization responsible for the site ? The Internet lacks the quality control mechanisms that exist in the print media Check the publishing source self published by an individual? reputable source? relevant source?

Internet Help NDSS Library Check our web site: www.deltasd.bc.ca/nd2/library Ask Your CAPP teacher