The Internet and Research Flashcards
Two basic types of internet search tools
search engine and subject directories
searches based on keywords
search engines
search by specialized topics
subject directories
What is the difference between search engines and subject directories?
Search engines are automated.
Directories are assembled by people.
Why Search the Internet? (4)
Some reasons that people search the Internet include:
1) Research for school assignments.
2) Looking for medical and scientific information.
3) Travel information and accommodations.
4) Shopping for goods and services.
What Is a Search Engine?
Search engines are programs that allow you to search for information.
There are ________ of search engines on the Internet.
hundreds
Search engines allow _______ searching.
keyword
The list of results returned from your search are called _____.
hits
_________ searches look for specific words within a Web page.
keyword
Many search engines use _______ ____ to build their search index.
meta tags
are HTML tags in a Web page that do not display, but can be used to define page content.
Meta tags
Search engines also use ___________ _______ to build their index.
significant words
may be words mentioned near the beginning of a page or repeated frequently throughout the page.
significant words
Some search engines claim to index _____ words in a Web page.
all
To search using keywords: (6)
1) Connect to the Internet and go to a search engine site.
2) Enter your keywords in the search box.
3) Many search engines allow you to enter a phrase or a sentence.
4) The search engine examines its internal database index looking for your words.
5) The search engine returns a list of hyperlinks (hits) to Web sites containing your words.
6) Click a hyperlink to go to that site.
What If you get no hits on your search?
revise your keywords and try again.
What are the three main components of search engines?
1) search engine program
2) spider/crawler/bot
3) index
The ____________ that does the search of its database.
search engine program
A _________ that looks for the information in the database.
spider/crawler/bot
The _____ which is built from information returned by the spider.
index
Search engines usually provide a ____________ _________ percentage for each hit.
relevance rating
5 major search engines
1) Google – www.google.com
2) Yahoo! – www.yahoo.com
3) AltaVista – www.altavista.com
4) Excite – www.excite.com
5) WebCrawler – www.webcrawler.com
Specialty search engines are also called ____________
category-oriented search engines.
category-oriented search engines are commonly used for
Locating people. Finding shareware and freeware. Shopping. Sports-related information. Career planning.
Subject experts personally examine Web sites and add the URL to a search engine if it meets standards.
subject directory searching
Subject directories are organized by subject _______.
categories
Each category has a collection of links to ______ resources.
Internet
The resources are arranged by subject and displayed in _______.
menus
You start at the top of a category and drill down from a ________ start to a _______ topic.
generic, specific
Advantages of Subject Directory Searches (6)
1) They usually provide a more guided approach than keyword searches.
2) They are easy to use.
3) You are not searching the entire Web.
4) The linked sites have been handpicked and evaluated.
5) Most links include a description.
6) They produce better quality hits on searches for common items.
Popular Subject Search Sites (4)
1) Encyclopedia Britannica – www.britannica.com
2) The Librarians Index – www.lii.org
3) Yahoo – www.yahoo.com
4) Galaxy – www.galaxy.com
Tools and Techniques for Searching (3)
1) Phrase searching
2) Search engine math
3) Wildcard searching
This is used to search for words that must appear next to each other.
phrase searching
Phrases must be enclosed in ___________.
double quotation marks
With phrase searching, only sites with the exact phrase will be returned as _______.
hits
You should capitalize ______ nouns when phrase searching
proper
Use math symbols to enter formulas or to filter out unwanted listings.
Search engine math
A __________ before a word means it must appear.
plus sign +
A _______ before a word means it should not appear.
minus sign (-)
allows you to search for words that you may not know the spelling of or to search for plurals or variations of a word. lets you search for any word that has the characters before or after the wildcard character. Not all search engines support this.
wildcard searching (*)
Some search engines have a ________ _____ feature.
The search engine will return hits based on your search criteria and may also display a list of other sites that have information related to your search criteria.
This can greatly improve the odds of finding the information that you want.
Note: Some sites call this feature similar pages or more pages like this.
related search
Yet, since anyone can post information there, you need to be able to evaluate what you find to
Determine if it is true.
Is it entirely true, partially true, or totally false?
Determine if it is reliable.
Determine if it is current.
There are a number of things to look for when viewing a Web page to aid in evaluating the site, including
Are the graphics on the page related to the topic of the site?
Are the various sections of the page labeled?
Does it mention who wrote the information?
Is there a way to communicate with the author of the page?
When was the page last updated?
Are there links to related Web pages?
Are the links easy to follow?
Does the title of the page accurately describe the page?
Is the information useful to you?
How old is the information?
Does this information contradict other information?
Does the author use superlatives such as always, best, worst, never, and so forth?
Does the author seem to have a good grasp of the information on the site?
Well-developed resources identify the author of the information.
Does the author have the background and expertise to deliver information on the subject?
Look for the name or e-mail address of the author so that you can contact him/her if necessary.
If the site has insufficient info on the author, use a search engine to try and find more information on him/her.
Sometimes the domain (.edu, .gov, etc.) can inform you of the pertinence of the site.
Determining authorship
When viewing a Web site, ask
Is the purpose of the site stated?
Is the information accurate?
Is the information thorough enough or just a surface covering of the topic?
Has this information been reviewed by an independent party?
The source of the information should be clearly stated.
Ask yourself whether the site is trying to sell a product or agenda or whether it is impartial with no ulterior motive in presenting the information.
Check the information against other resources to verify the accuracy of the site.
Evaluating Content
The site should state when it was last updated.
Medical and technological data change rapidly and could be outdated if it has not been updated recently.
Does the site itself contain useful information or only links to other sites with information?
Does the site contain dead links?
Do the links stay within this site or go to others?
Does the site appear to be objective, or is there an obvious bias to the presentation?
Are the spelling and grammar correct?
Is the content timely?
the ability to move through a site.
site navigation
Laying the site out in a logical and orderly format makes it easier to use and is more effective.
When checking site links, look for
Are the links easy to identify?
Are the links grouped logically?
Are the links pertinent to the subject?
Each page should have a link back to the home page and a link to e-mail the author.
Site Navigation
No matter what type of resource site you use, it should contain
The identification of the publisher. Article reviewer information. Special hardware/software requirements. Availability of older copies of the article, magazine, and so forth. Site currency.
The illegal copying or use of software programs
software piracy
Software piracy costs individuals and businesses money.
Copying a friend’s version instead of buying it is stealing the intellectual property of the creator of the software.
Downloading and using shareware without paying the author is also software piracy.
Software piracy is a felony and carries serious consequences if you get caught.
software piracy
It is very easy to copy information from a Web site, but it may be illegal to do so.
Internet sites and publications have the same legal protection as books, newspapers, movies, and so forth.
A copyright is the exclusive right for some period of time to make and dispose of literary and artistic work.
You may need permission from the site author to use any information found on that site or you will be violating copyright law.
Many sites post a “re-use” or “copyright” notice that you should read and follow to the letter.
Information on which the copyright has lapsed is considered in the “public domain” and can be used without permission.
Understanding Copyright Rules
Any Internet resource used in a report or document must be cited.
You must give credit to any information you use that is not your original thought.
There are guidelines for how to cite electronic sources in various publications.
One source is the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
In addition to giving credit where it is due, citing the resource in your document also makes it easy to find again if needed.
Citing Internet Resources
Copying information from electronic resources and claiming it as your own is illegal, even if it is copyright-free material.
This is called plagiarism.
Make certain that information you publish is true.
If you publish inaccurate information about a person or organization, you could be sued for libel.
The free flow of information across the Internet makes it easy for criminals to acquire information and prey on unsuspecting victims.
Using the Internet to perpetrate what you think is a harmless or humorous prank can lead to serious repercussions for other people who may believe that the information you present is true.
Other legal and ethical issues
