How to search the Web:
This tutorial covers:
some brief Web background,
tips on evaluating Web sites, and
four simple approaches to searching the Web.
Learn how to save search time
in less than 10 minutes!
This tutorial was created for Adirondack Community College students by ACC instruction librarian Joyce Miller in June, 2004. It was updated in June 2005.
First: some quick Web basics:
The World Wide Web is an interconnected network of computers around the world.
No group controls the quality of the world's Web sites. Double-checking Web information becomes your job!
Much information is on the Web:
Valuable, credible information: research, statistics, opinions, health & financial information from schools, corporations, government agencies around the world, non-profit agencies;
Hobby and personal information, by individuals;
Commercial advertising from companies;
Inaccurate, offensive information, of low quality or value, illegal material, rantings, opinions presented as facts, child pornography, stolen music, etc.
So...is everything on the Web?
NO! All information is not on the Web, just as it's not only in books, on TV, radio, films, or in any other one publishing medium.
By far, most information in the world is actually NOT on the Web!
When to use the Web in research:
In most cases, use Web sites after you've used books and articles to become familiar with the subject.
Books and journal articles are usually fact-checked by experts, unlike many Web documents.
Learn something about your research topic before using Web sites!
Using computers at ACC:
Computers with Web access are located:
near the Reference Desk in the ACC Library,
the Student Computing lab on the lower level of Scoville,
the Student Center and other locations around campus.
Your use of these computers indicates
your consent to the college's Computer Use Policy,
agreeing to use the computers responsibly
for academic purposes.
Free vs. subscription Web sites:
Just like with network TV and cable TV, there are free Web sites and paid or subscription Web sites.
You generally get what you pay for!
This tutorial discusses ways to search for the best of the three billion free Web sites, available from any computer in the world with a Web connection.
Subscription Web sites, such as article databases, are on ACC Library's Web page. See the Research Steps tutorial for details.
Answer these four questions to evaluate the quality of a web page:
Who created the page?
How current is it?
Does it show a bias or limited point of view?
Is it accurate?
Who created the Web page?
Who is the author or producer?
Are credentials or contact information given?
If published by an organization, is any background given?
Is it the group's official site?
Check the Web address endings:
The last part of a Web address gives you an idea about who created a Web site:
.com (for-profit company; about 50% of addresses),
.gov (U.S. federal government),
.edu (college or university),
.org (non-profit organization),
.net (network) and
.mil (military).
Two-letter country (.us) or state (.ny) addresses are also used.
New Web address endings are being added, such as:
.biz .museum .info .pro
2) How current is the Web site?:
When was the information produced?
When was it last updated?
Does the currency matter for your subject?
Are the links up-to-date, or do they lead to "dead ends"?
3) Does the Web site have a bias?
Does the site offer facts or opinions?
Are political, cultural or other biases evident?
Does it present all viewpoints, or selected ones?
Is the author trying to sell a product or have other vested interests?
4) What is the Web site's content?
What is the site's purpose?
Is it accurate? Does it correspond to research in more reliably credible sources?
Who is the intended audience?
Is it clearly organized and designed well?
Four ways to Search the Web:
Use these approaches in this order to save time and get the best search results:
Recommended Web sites
Subject directory
Search engine
Meta-search engine
Let's go through each....
Use a recommended Web site:
This technique is learned with experience.
As you study a subject, you'll learn many good Web sites through your textbooks, ACC Library research guides, instructors, and personal experience.
We'll get you started with a few favorites....they might become your favorites too!
Some handy Web addresses from the ACC librarians:
RefDesk
Quick links to a variety of news, weather, reference and other Web sites.
NewspaperLinks
Links to newspapers from around the United States.
FedStats
Statistics from 100 federal agencies, with links to state statistics.
2) Subject directory:
Subject directories list a small, selective, well-organized group of Web sites.
The sites are chosen by people, not software.
The sites are small, but organized into categories by subject, easy to browse.
Use these if you need just a few good, credible Web sites.
Examples of subject directories:
Commercial subject directories:
Subject directories from ".com" companies are fine for movie reviews, recipes, and other popular queries. They usually do not evaluate sites.
Yahoo!
Google's Web Directory
But much better ones are on the next page...
Subject directories from non-profit or educational groups:
These are appropriate for college-level research:
? Librarians' Index to the Internet:
Librarians from the Library of California have selected and organized about 10,000 quality sites. It's a great way to find just a few good Web sites!
Internet Public Library:
A project of the School of Information and Library Studies at the University of Michigan.
Try out a subject directory...
Test a subject in Librarians' Index to the Internet.
You usually find good Web sites within a seconds!
Clicking on the link above, browse through some subjects: health, money, statistics, education, etc. In a few clicks, you'll have descriptions and links to several useful Web sites!
You may also type in a subject, such as "college students" or even "stress," nutrition" or "New York State."
Librarians' Index to the Internet: http://lii.org/
3) Search engines:
Search engines search millions or billions of Web sites by subject, using software.
They're useful for very specific subject searches,
or if you want many, many results.
Search engines Web sites are
usually not organized by subject,
nor quality-oriented.
Google remains the most popular search engine:
It searches several billion sites.
It's a "second generation" search engine, using "link popularity" and other criteria to find useful sites.
But if you're going to Google...
Use Google's Advanced Search!
With Google's "Advanced Search" feature:
1. Enter in your search terms in the blue Find Results area.
2. Use the Domain limit to search only for a type of Web address.
Try searching for "Only" .endings with gov, or edu, or .org, or
Use "Don't return" the "com" ending, to eliminate 50% of Web sites that are commericial.
Check out Google's Advanced Search Help page for more.
There are other search engines!:
No search engine covers all the Web.
? More than a thousand search engines exist.
? Get to know a few others! Compare a search in Google with these search engines:
Teoma
AllTheWeb
For more search engines, see University at Albany Library's Internet Search Engines page.
4) Meta-search engines:
These are search engines that search other search engines.
They search several search engines at once, culling the top 10, 20 or 30 results from each. It's a broad, shallow way to search.
They are best used to find "needle in a haystack" facts or obscure information. It's difficult to limit search results well. Use them if search engines don't work!
They use software, not people, to choose results.
Examples of other meta-search engines:
MetaCrawler
SurfWax
Ixquick
See University at Albany Library's Meta Search Engines page for more.
Want more search tips?
For basic to advanced Web searching tutorials, see the University at Albany Libraries' Internet Tutorials site.
For advanced search engine features, specialized search engines, comparison charts and more, click on Search Engine Watch.
At any time, ask a librarian for tips and ideas!