Finding/Evaluating Internet Information
Two important points to consider:
1. Anyone can publish on the WWW.
Compare:
http://www.gatt.org/ http://www.wto.org/
(World Trade Organization - formerly
known as GATT: General Agreement on Tariffs
& Trade)
2. There's a big difference between the
average Web site and an article in a magazine or journal.
Articles in magazines have gone through the publishing process.
The publisher's reputation is on the line. Staff reporters
gather and write the articles. Scholarly periodical articles
are reviewed by experts before publication, etc.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE GOOD WEB SITES
Find out who sponsors the page. Example
1 Example
2
Look at the header or footer of the page.
Look at the URL:
protocol://server.host.domain/path/path/path...
for a clue to its authority.
What institution (company, government, university, etc.) or Internet
provider supports this information?
|
U. S.
domains. .edu - institution of higher education .gov - official government - federal or state .mil - U.S. military .org - non-profit organization .net - network .com - commercial - for profit/business |
| New domains
have recently been added: http://www.icann.org/tlds/ |
| A tilde ~ usually indicates a personal page |
| Foreign domains
include a 2-letter
country
code British Broadcasting Co. = http://www.bbc.co.uk |
| International
agencies use .int Interpol = http://www.interpol.int/ |
Who wrote the page?
Example
1
Example 2
Example 3
Credentials? You may have to consult other sources to find
information on the author.
What is the purpose of the page/site--to
inform? to persuade?
Political or other bias?
Example 1
Information or advertising?
Example 2 and Example 3
Is it true or parody?
Example 4
Check the date!
When was the information created or last updated? (Usually
found at the bottom of the page)
Reputation: Where cited?
Did you get this site from a
reputable source or from a search engine?
Who links to it? (In Google-- search LINKS in Advanced Search)
FINDING GOOD SITES
When you "search the Web"--you are not searching the Web.
You are searching a database of Web sites -- this database created by humans, or by automated programs called spiders.
When we enter terms, we generally either want
ANY of the terms: colleges OR universities
ALL the terms: drugs AND sports
ALL the terms in this exact order (phrase): chinese new year
NOT this term: dolphins NOT football
Learn the basics of search engine math or use
Advanced Search!
+ indicates the term must
appear
- indicates the
terms must NOT appear
" "
indicates a phrase
Using Advanced Search
1. You can also search for specific domains: edu,
gov, etc.
Note: Some search engines are paid to
include Web sites. "The FTC has asked the search engine industry to
ensure that they are being 'clear and conspicuous' in disclosing
their use of paid content."
2. You can find out what other sites link to it.
For example,
Google's
Advanced Search. Look down to Page-Specific Search.
You can find other sites like it, and you can find other sites that
link to it.
Just put the URL in the box.
OTHER WEB search services and information guides:
Use more than one search
engine for comprehensive results.
http://ranking.thumbshots.com/ will compare
results in two different search engines.
Meta search engines
search several search engines and directories at one time.
Example: Dogpile
Many libraries have
pre-selected useful resources.
Example:
Pickler
Library's SubjectsPlus.
Finding words in a Web page:
1. Click on Edit, then Find in
Page.
2. Type the word
you want to find in the dialog box
3. Click on the
Find Next Button.
shortcut is CTRL/f
Printing:
1.
Print a portion of a page: Highlight a portion of the Web page
you wish to print.
Click on
File, then Print. Click on
Selection
2. Print a document in PDF: Be sure to click on the print icon in Adobe, not on your browser!
Find out more about searching with
Search Engine Watch
(http://www.searchenginewatch.com)
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/1031wto.html
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/sep00/piper.htm
