Library and Internet Research

Integrating Library & Internet Research

Library and Internet sources are closely connected

You can use the Internet to access many of the library’s resources:Book catalogPeriodical indexElectronic databases (subscription services)

Library Research

Get a library card! This will allow you to access all the libraries within the SNAP system (Solano-Napa Library System)

It also grants access to electronic databases that are only available through a subscription.

www.napavalley.edu

Electronic Databases

This describes a wide range of databases available to you through the library, including the online catalog.

You can also access thousands of articles through one of the indexes the NVC Library subscribes to.

These subscription databases are useful for several reasons

Electronic Databases

The electronic subscription databases list publication information for articles.

Some databases also list the full text of the article, which you can email or fax to your own computer

These databases ONLY list sources that are reputable and trustworthy.

Working Bibliography: Keeping Track of Your Research

A working bibliography is a preliminary, ongoing record of books, articles, Web sites – all the sources of information you discover as you research your information.

Each entry in a working bibliography is called a bibliography citation. The information you include in your bibliographic citation will help you find the source in the library and then document it in your Works Cited.

Taking Notes

Photocopy your sources and annotate them

Take notes by paraphrasing, summarizing and quoting useful material.

Make sure you include the page numbers for all paraphrases, summaries and quotations.

Place ALL quotations in quotation marks

Internet Research

The Internet can be a great tool for research, but finding quality web materials and using them to your advantage in your writing can be challenging.

Why do we need to evaluate sources?

Virtually anyone can publish anything on the internet.

Unlike most print sources, web sources do not have to be professionally accepted and edited to be published.

Search Sites: Many Types!

Search enginesWeb directoriesDeep Web Search Sites & DirectoriesMeta Search SitesNews Search SitesReference Search SitesGovernment Search Sites & directoriesBlog Search SitesSocial Network Search Sites

Web Search Engines

When you use a Web search engine, you obtain info about Web pages & other forms of info on the Internet, including: PDF filesPowerPoint filesWord filesBlogsNewsgroups

Leading Web Search Engines

Alltheweb: alltheweb.comAltaVista: altavista.comAsk: ask.comExcite: excite.comGigablast: gigablast.comGoogle: google.comLive Search live.com

Keep in mind

Most search engines index a small portion of the Web (5-50%).

Use more than one search engine to search the Web.

Web Directories

Unlike Web search sites, Web directories employ human editors to organize information about Web pages into categories.

This allows you to search within a collection of Web sites that have already been judged by real people to be relevant to your topic.

Leading Web Directories

About.com about.comBest of the Web: botw.orgGoogle Directory:

google.com/dirhpHoppa: hoppa.comInfoMine: infomine.ucr.eduInternet Public Library: ipl.orgJoeAnt: joeant.com

Leading Web Directories

Librarians Internet Index: lii.orgOpen Directory Project: dmoz.orgWeb World: webworldindex.comWWW Virtual Library: vlib.orgYahoo! Directory: dir.yahoo.com

Deep Web Search Sites and Directories

Many specialized topics are addressed through database-supported Web sites that are not indexed by conventional Web search sites.

These sites are called the Deep Web, or the Invisible Web because they are not easily found.

Deep Web Search Sites & Directories

Academic Info:academicinfo.net

Complete Planet: aip.completeplanet.com

Direct Search: freepint.com/gary/direct.htm

Turbo10.com: turbo10.com

Meta Search Sites

These sites allow you to conduct a search on several Web search engines or directories at the same time.

These sites typically search the major search engines and directories and then present a limited number of results on a single page.

Meta Search Sites

Clusty: clusty.comDogpile: dogpile.comIxquick: ixquick.comKartoo: kartoo.comMamma: mamma.comMetacrawler: metacrawler.comZuula: zuula.com

News Search Sites

AlltheWeb News: alltheweb.com/?cat=newsAlta Vista News: altavista.com/newsAsk News: news.ask.comGoogle News: news.google.comRocketInfo.com: rocketnews.comWorld News: wn.com

Reference Search Sites

These sites help you find information that has been collected in encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, and other reference resources.

Reference Search Sites

Bartleby.com Reference: bartleby.com/reference

Encyclopedia.com: encyclopedia.comEncyclopedia Brittanica Online:

britannica.comInformation Please: infoplease.comMSN Encarta: encarta.msn.com

Government Documents: Search Sites and Directories

These sites allow you find information provided by government agencies and institutions.

Some Government Database Sites and Directories

About.com’s U.S. Government Information Directory: usgovinfo.about.com

FedStats: fedtstats.govFedWorld: fedworld.govGoogle U.S. Government Search:

google.com/ig/usgov

Some Government Database Sites and Directories

Government Printing Office Access: gpoaccess.gov

GovSpot.com: gpoaccess.govSearchGov.com: searchgov.comState and Local Government Directory:

statelocalgov.netUSA.gov: usa.gov

Search with Keywords and Phrases

Use words like AND or OR to limit your search and get more specific information.

Check out www.searchenginewatch.com for great information on how to limit or expand internet searches.

Evaluating Electronic Sources

Evaluating a source

means evaluating its:

Relevance Evidence Author Credibility Timeliness Comprehensiveness Accuracy

Relevance is the extent to which a source provides information you can use in your project.

Determine whether the information in a source will help you accomplish your purpose.

Evaluating Electronic Sources: Relevance

Evaluating Electronic Sources: Evidence

Is enough evidence offered?Is the right kind of evidence offered?Is the evidence used ethically?Is the evidence convincing?Is the source of the evidence provided?

Evaluating Electronic Sources: Author

Is the author knowledgeable about the topic?

What is the author’s affiliation?How do the author’s biases affect the

information, ideas, and arguments?

Identify the web site

Who is the creator of the site?What is the purpose of the site?Who is the audience of this site?Can you purchase products at this site?Is the site affiliated with a business or

university?Does the site list idiosyncratic

information about a person or group?

Evaluating Electronic Sources: Credibility

Pay special attention to Websites and Blogs.

Examine the domain: (.edu, .com, etc).Look for information about the site

(About This Site, or Site Information pages)

Examine for credibility

Credibility may be compromised by purposeful misinformation or unintentional neglect.

Locating the name of the site’s creator may be challenging.

Credentials may be missing even if the author’s name is provided.

Examine for credibility

Who is the author of the site?What is the authority or expertise of the

individual or group?What else comes up when you type the

author’s name into a search engine?Does the source have a political or

business agenda?Is the site sponsored by a political or

business group? What do you know about them?

Assess date of information

Can you find a date identifying when the information was posted?

Can you find a date identifying when the site was created?

Evaluating Electronic Sources: Timeliness

Check the date your source information is published. For some topics (science and technology-related topics, for example) this information is especially important.

Evaluating Electronic Sources: Comprehensiveness

Comprehensiveness is the extent to which a source provides a complete and balanced view of a topic.