Web Search Tools

• Topical lists of selected WWW resources, hierarchically arranged
• Use these tools for researching broad topics
• Many directories rate and review Web resources

• These are directories that contain very selective resources
• Contain subject guides, great places to begin research on a topic
• Also contain links to reference works like dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, etc.

• Most search engines claim to index the entire Web
• Require knowledge of advanced search techniques to guarantee good results
• Each search engine has different search features
• Look here for obscure subjects, persons’ names, multi-faceted topics

• Some allow you to search several search engines simultaneously
• Individual search engines’ features may not be fully exploited, so keep search simple
• Good way to keep up with new search engines

1. Identify the important concepts of your search.
2. Choose the keywords that describe these concepts.
3. Determine whether there are synonyms, related terms, or other variations of the keywords that should be included.
4. Determine which search features may apply, including truncation, proximity operators, Boolean operators, and so forth.
5. Choose a search engine.
6. Read the search instructions on the search engine’s home page. Look for sections entitled "help," "advanced search," "frequently asked questions," and so forth.
7. Create a search expression, using syntax that is appropriate for the search engine.
8. View the results. How many hits were returned? Were the results relevant to your query?
9. Modify your search if needed. Go back to Steps 2 through 4 and revise your query accordingly.
10. Try the same search in a different search engine, following Steps 6 through 9 above.

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• and indicates that only those Web pages that have both words in them will be retrieved
• or will result in Web pages that have either term
• not is used when a term needs to be excluded (in some search engines, type and not)
• When ands and ors are used in one search statement, you must put parentheses around the items that are to be performed separately, for example, (apples or oranges) and tangerines. This is called nested Boolean logic.

• Shortcuts to and and not. If search engine supports this feature, type "+" in front of a word that must appear, and "-" before a word that must not appear.

• A string of words that must appear next to each other, for example, "global warming."

• Retrieval of a root word and its different endings, for example, postmodern* would retrieve postmodernist, postmodernism, and so forth.

• The capability limiting search results to parts of a Web page, for example., URLs, headings, summaries, and so forth. Supported by few search engines (Alta Vista, Infoseek, HotBot, and Open Text).

• Some search engines recognize capitalization in words and some don’t. This can be very important when looking for proper names, like Sting, or the Who.

• Some search engines allow you to search the Web for pages that were entered between certain dates (as of now, only Alta Vista and HotBot support this feature).

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Who Is the Author or Institution?

• If an individual has written the resource, does it give biographical information about the author? That information could include any of the following: educational and other credentials, occupational position, institutional affiliation, and street address (sometimes an email address is not enough). If an institution has written the resource, does it give information about that institution, including its purpose, history, and street address?
• Have you seen the author’s or institution’s name cited in other sources or bibliographies?
• What clues does the URL give you about a source’s authority? A tilde (~) in the Web page’s URL usually indicates that it is a personal page, rather than part of an institutional Web site.
• .edu educational (Can be anything from serious research to zany student pages.)
• .gov governmental (Is usually dependable.)
• .com commercial (May be trying to sell a product.)
• .net network (May provide services to commercial or individual customers.)
• .org organization (Is a nonprofit institution; may be biased.)

• If the page is part of a larger institution’s Web site, does the institution appear to filter the information that appears at its site? Was the information screened somehow before it was put on the Web?

• Is there a date on the Web page that indicates when the page was placed on the Web?
• Is it clear when the page was last updated?
• Is some of the information obviously out-of-date?
• Does the page creator mention how frequently the material is updated?

• Is the Web page intended for the general public, or is it meant for scholars, practitioners, children, and so forth? Is the audience clearly stated?
• Does the Web page meet the needs of its stated audience?

• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, or institutional biases?
• Is the content intended to be a brief overview of the information or an in-depth analysis?
• If the information is opinion, is this clearly stated?
• If information has been copied from other sources, is this acknowledged? Are there footnotes, if necessary?

• Is the purpose of the information to inform, explain, persuade, market a product, or advocate a cause?
• Is the purpose clearly stated?
• Does the resource fulfill the stated purpose?
 

Searching and Researching on the Internet and the World Wide Web

1. Introduction to the World Wide Web
2. Browser Details and Bookmarks
3. Using the World Wide Web for Research
4. Directories and Virtual Libraries
5. Search Strategies for Search Engines
6. Using Search Engines
7. Specialized Databases
8. Searching Library Catalogs
9. FTP: Searching the Archives, Downloading the Files
10. Finding Email Addresses, Phone Numbers, and Maps
11. Searching Email Discussion Group Archives and Usenet Newsgroup Archives
12. Evaluating Information Found on the WWW
13. Citing Web and Internet Resources
14. Putting It All Together: Two Sample Research Projects

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