Transcript Internet Research Tips - Cal State LA

Internet Research Tips
Daniel Fack
Internet Research Tips
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The internet is a self publishing medium.
It must be be analyzed for
appropriateness of research use.
Always look at a diversity of sites when
researching on a topic.
There are three resources for locating
internet materials, which are subject
directory, search engine and databases
called “invisible web.”
Subject Directory
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A collection of links to Internet resources
submitted by the site creators and
organized into subject categories.
There are two basic types of directories:
academic and professional created to
support the needs of researchers.
Don’t overlook directories when on the
internet.
Yahoo is an example of a subject
directory.
Search Engine
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Definition- A database of internet files
collected by a computer program.
Spider: Program that traverses the Web
from link to link.
Index: Database containing a copy of
each Web page gathered by the the
spider
Search engine mechanism: Software that
allows users results to be in ranked order.
Deep Web
Information stored in searchable
databases. The database searches
for a topic and all the web sites
contained within that database.
 Having a good directory will link to
good databases.
 Information changing rampantly will
appear on the invisible web.
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Watch Out For Converging
Content
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Information can come from a large array
of sources, but can cause confusion in
terms of the source.
Many search engines offer a directory,
which allow searches to be separately.
Specialty databases: search services
allowing specific content from databases.
Performing Research on
the Internet
Anthony Clayburg
Performing Research on the
Internet
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Access Protocols-Email, FTP, http, Telnet,
Usenet
Accessing info.:
•Email Discussion Groups
•Direct Address
•Browse
•Explore Subject Directory
•Search Engines
Performing Research on the
Internet
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Email Discussion Groups
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Like receiving a daily newspaper
• Daily Emails giving updates
Likely linked to institutions
 Managed by software programs
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• Ex: Listserv, Majordomo, Listproc
Performing Research on the
Internet
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Direct Address
URL= Uniform Resource Locator
 Go directly to the desired site using the
correct web address
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May use Hypertext- http
May use FTP site
May use Telnet connection
Performing Research on the
Internet
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Browse
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Very unpredictable
• Never know what site will appear next
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Higher quality sites have better links
Performing Research on the
Internet
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Explore Subject Directory
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2 Types:
• Academic-usually used in institutions
• Professional- Ex: yahoo
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Notes: Yahoo type engine are very vague which
indicates they are not a good source for doing research.
A more reliable site which reviews and rates its own
recommendations is a more valuable source.
Performing Research on the
Internet
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Web Search Engine
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3 Components
• Spider-connects link to link looking at sites
• Index- copies each site gathered by spider
• Search Engine Mechanism- relays info to
user based
on relevancy in ranked
order
Note: Spiders can be vague. More reliable
engines are Google, Direct Hit, Northern
Light, MetaCrawler
Performing Research on the
Internet
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Tips for successful search
Read directions of each search engine
before using
 Check for correct spelling
 Use alternate terms if necessary
 Use different search engines
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A Basic Guide to the
Internet
& Understanding the
World Wide Web
Erin S. Cleary
Internet:
A Computer Network Made up of
Thousands of Networks World Wide.
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No one is in charge of the Internet.
Organizations
develop technical
aspects of Network.
Internet Traffic Flows are Owned by
Private Companies.
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All
Computers Communicate by
Using TCP/IP:
•Transmission Control Protocol /
Services Available on the
Internet :
Electronic Mail
File Transfer
Vast Information Resources
Interest Group Membership
Interactive Collaboration
Multimedia Displays
Real-Time Broadcasting
Shopping Opportunities
Much More…
Components of the Internet:
WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW):
A system of Internet servers that supports
hypertext to access several Internet protocols on
a single interface.
E-MAIL:
Electronic mail allows computer users locally
and worldwide to exchange messages.
TELNET:
Program that allows you to log into computers
on the Internet and use online databases,
library catalogs, chat services, and more.
Components of the Internet:
FTP: (File Transfer Protocol)
A program and the method used to transfer
files between computers.
E-MAIL DISCUSSION GROUPS:
Active discussions organized around topicoriented forums distributed by e-mail.
USERNET NEWS:
A global electronic bulletin board system in
which millions of computer users exchange
information.
Components of the Internet:
FAQ: (Frequently Asked Questions)
Periodic postings to Usenet newsgroups that
contain a wealth of information.
RFC: (Request for Comments)
Documents created by and distributed to the
Internet community to help define the nuts and
bolts of the Internet.
FYI: (For Your Information)
These notes are a subset of RFCs and contain
information of interest to new Internet users.
WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW):
A system of Internet servers that supports
hypertext to access several Internet
protocols on a single interface.
The World Wide Web was developed in 1989
by Tim Berners-Lee of the European Particle
Physics Lab (CERN) in Switzerland.
Initial purpose was for its members to
facilitate communication, which were
located in different countries.
Major Protocols Accessible on
the Web:
E-Mail: (Simple Mail Transport Protocol or
SMTP)
Distributes electronic messages and files to one or more
electronic mailboxes.
Telnet: (Telnet Protocol)
Facilitates login to a computer host to execute commands.
FTP: (File Transport Protocol)
Transfers text or binary files between an FTP server and
client.
Usenet: (Network News Transfer Protocol or
NNTP)
Distributes Usenet news articles derived from topical
discussions on newsgroups.
HTTP: (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
Transmits hypertext over networks. This is the protocol
of the WWW.
How to Access Web Pages:
1. Enter an Internet Address and retrieve a
page directly.
2. Browsing through pages and selecting
links to move from one page to another.
3. Searching through subject directories
linked to organized collections of Web
pages.
4. Entering a search statement at a search
engine to retrieve pages on the topic of your
choice.
Retrieving Documents on the
Web:
Uniform Resource Locator: (URL)
The URL specifies the Internet address of a file
stored on a host computer connected to the
Internet.
Every file on the Internet has a unique URL
URLs are translated into numeric addresses
using the Internet Domain Name System (DNS).
Example:
http://www.house.gov/agriculture/sche
dule.htm