Transcript Online Research

CONDUCTING
RESEARCH
How to find information
on the Internet
Go directly to a site if
you have the address
www.whitehouse.gov/
Browse
Join an e-mail
discussion group or
usenet newsgroup
http://www.liszt.com/
Northern Light
Google
Conduct a search using
a web search engine
Direct Hit
MetaCrawler
Explore a subject
directory
• The librarian’s index to the
internet
• The Argus Clearinghouse
• The WWW virtual library
• INFOMINE
Explore the deep
web (databases)
www.invisibleweb.com/
www.webdata.com/
www.search.com/
PRACTICAL STEPS FOR
WEB RESEARCH:
How to formulate queries
• Identify your concepts
• List keywords for each concept
• Specify the logical relationships
among your keywords
TIPS ON CONDUCTING
SEARCHES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Read the directions
Use Boolean logic
Use synonyms
Check your spelling
Use capitalization if case sensitive
Repeat using alternative terms
Try different sources within search engines
Try different search engines
Try search engines which search multiple
search engines
What if I have too many
results?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Field search
Add concept words
Use vocab. specific to topic
Link terms with “and” (+)
Use term proximity operators
Enclose phrases within
quotations
Use “not” to keep out
unwanted terms
What if I have too few
results?
•
•
•
•
Drop off the least
important concept
Use more general
vocabulary
Add alternate terms
or spellings
Try “related
documents” option
Keeping track of where
you have been
• Who
• How
• Where
• What
• Why
• When
Your assignment:
Do the internet
activity
Use any of the
search
techniques to
obtain your
information
Keep track of the
who, how, where,
what, why, and
when
References
Cohen, L. (2001, May) Conducting Research on
the Internet,
http://library.albany.edu/internet/research.html
Keeping an Internet Activity Log,
http://schoolnet.ca/aboriginal/lessons/surf-loge.html