Transcript The Internet – A tool for Learning, Teaching and Research

The Internet – A tool for Learning,
Teaching and Research
David Robinson
Learning and Teaching support
Information Services
Overview of session
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2.00 – 2.30 The internet and searching
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2.30 – 3.25 Searching Practical
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3.25 – 3.40 Tea & Coffee
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3.40 – 4.00 Internet services designed for the HE community
Evaluating information on the web.
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4.00 – 4.50 Evaluating information on the web practical.
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4.50 – 5.00 Review and Evaluation
What is the Internet ?
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International network of computers
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Based on the Internet Protocol (IP)
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Any network can join the internet
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Includes research, academic, community
and commercial networks
The difference between the
internet and the WWW
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The WWW is a subsection of the
internet
World Wide Web
E-Mail
Other Activities
The Internet
The Internet as an
information resource
 Advantages
 Up-to-date
 Access at point of use
 Accessible 24 hours a day
 Access to a wide variety of information sources
 Disadvantages
 Quality?
 No standard vocabulary
 Poor search tools?
 Limited help
Tools For information
seeking on the Web
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Search Engines
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Metasearch Engines
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Classified Directories
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Subject Directories/
Gateways
Search Engines
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Listings created automatically
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Three major elements
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Spider (crawler)
The Index (catalogue)
Search Engine Software
Search Engines (Contd)
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Why different results ?
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Good for specific searches
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Advanced features
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I recommend
http://www.google.com
Meta Search Engines
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Enable you to search multiple search
services simultaneously
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Submit Keyword
Transmits search simultaneously
Gets results from all search services
Disadvantages
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Level of information
Limited query language
www.metacrawler.com
Classified Directories
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Listings created by humans
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Enter Keyword
Searches Descriptions
Displays results
Browsable and searchable
Good for general queries
Fewer but higher quality resources
found
Subject Gateways
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Subject specific classified directories
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Usually academic
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High quality resources (usually)
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Good for general queries
What to use when ?
Search Engines
If you have a very specific query
If you need lots of information
Metasearch Engines
If you have a very specific query
If you're not worried about creating a complex search query
If you want to increase the proportion of the web searched
Classified Directories & Subject Gateways
If you have a general information need
If you want to browse through information in a structured manner
If you want higher quality information
Classic Problems When Searching
How can I
make my
search more
specific?
I can’t see why
I’m getting
these results!
There’s too much
information out
there!
How can I
make my
results more
relevant?
How can you search more
effectively?
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Plan your search in advance
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Become familiar with advanced
search concepts
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Learn to use search engine
features & search syntax
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Review and refine your searches
Planning Your Search
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Choose Keywords carefully
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Decide what type of information you need
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Think about the words that best describe your
topic
Be aware of: US spelling, plurals, Capitalisation
etc.
Very recent material ? English language ?
Type of information affects the search tool
Structure your search query
Overview of Search Concepts
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Boolean Operators – AND, OR, NOT
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Field and Phrase searching
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title: “Queen’s University”
“David Robinson” “Information Services”
Truncation
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learning AND teaching
Workshop OR seminar NOT training
Plurals and different endings of similar word
E.g. lion* - lion, lions, lioness
Parentheses
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(0nline OR web) AND (courses OR tutorials)
Searching Features
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Complex Queries supported to varying
degrees ( Boolean, truncation etc)
Almost Universal:
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Automatic phrase searching
Field searching and limits
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Use of + and – signs eg +virus –computer
Phrase searching - “”
Title, URL, date, language
“Advanced” Search page
Reviewing your search
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Do you need to refine your search ?
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Use refining features to help you:
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Have you got enough information?
Or too much information?
How relevant are results to your topic?
Related words & searches, ‘More like this’, ‘search
within’
Do you need to consider other information
sources?
Searching Practical
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Approximately 50 Mins
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Construct a complex search
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Using various searching tools
Internet services for the HE
community
Subject Gateways
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The key to browsing for resources
Pinakes
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http://www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/irn/pinakes/
pinakes.html
Comprehensive list
Links to a lot of subject gateways
Includes multi-subject gateways also
Multi-subject Gateways
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BUBL – www.bubl.ac.uk
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Bubl LINK
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BUBL 5:15
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Catalogued using DDC
Items – selected, evaluated catalogued and descibed
Alternative interface
Based on subject
Guarantees min 5 and max of 15 resources per subject
Big subject areas broken down into smaller categories
Look at the Resource Discovery Network
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www.rdn.ac.uk
Email Discussion Groups
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Threads of conversations in the form of
emails
Sign-up and you receive emails posted by
members
You reply in the form of an email to the group
Warning: you can be pestered with large
amounts of emails
Mailbase the most popular
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www.jiscmail.ac.uk
Not to be confussed with mailing/email lists
Discussion Groups
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Like email discussion groups – only post
message on an online notice board
A lot quicker
Usually have to register or provide
personal info
Email and Discussion groups may be
moderated or unmoderated
Electronic Journals
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Most journals have to be accessed through
the library
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Prestigious journals
Journals
Only accessible through Queens machines
At home you can use CITRIX
Advantages
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Desktop accessible
Download one article and not the whole journal
Online Teaching Resources
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Learning and Teaching Support Network
– www.ltsn.ac.uk
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Promote high quality teaching & learning
Individual subject centres provide
information on educational resources
Database access
Database Access
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BIDS – www.bids.ac.uk
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How do I access these databases
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Go to Main Library
Fill out registration forms
Get Username and password
Go to site and obtain relevant information
Summary
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Subject Gateways first point of contact
Within subject specific sites you should
find resources e.g.
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e-journals
mailing lists
discussion groups
www resources.
Don’t be afraid to explore
Evaluating Information on the
Internet
Misleading Information
The 'New Discoveries' web
site claimed that the HIV virus
was caused by flatworms and
that it could be cured by the
use of a herbal medicine for
sale on the web site.
Deciphering URLs
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Results from search engines can
take you deep into a site - URLs can
give clues to where that page is from
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Commercial, academic, government or
non-profit organisation?
.co.uk .ac.uk .edu .gov.uk .org.uk
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A personal home page? ~jsmith
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Work backwards through a URL to get at its
source
Quality Considerations (1)
Content
 How reliable is the information?
 How comprehensive is the information?
 Are there links to other quality documents?
 Are there many ‘dead’ links?
 How up-to-date is the information
Quality Considerations (2)
Source and Ownership:
 Who is the author or owner of the information?
 What is their designation or authority?
 Is contact information available?
 Is there evidence of sponsorship on the web site?
 Is any bias evident?
 Is there a copyright statement or a disclaimer?
Quality Considerations (3)
Structure and Layout:
 Are graphics sensibly used?
 Is it easy to navigate around the site?
 Can you search the site?
 Does the text follow basic rules of grammar,
spelling etc?
Summary
 Learn to recognise the features
that make good/bad web sites
 Use the same criteria you would use
to judge other types of publication
 Use links from sites you know and trust
 Subject gateways
 Think critically at all times!