|
Information
About The Internet
- The Internet is:
| Any
kind/type of material |
| Prepared
by anybody |
| Dumped
in a big pile |
| Without
ANY overall organization |
The
Internet contains millions of pages of information created by a variety
of sources: government agencies, professional and nonprofit organizations,
for-profit companies, and individuals.
There
is no oversight of the content placed on the Internet the way there is
when a book or a journal is published. Many Internet sources are reliable
and useful, but the internet also contains information that is inaccurate,
incomplete, outdated or offensive.
Getting
Started with the Internet
Know
what's out there, what is available |
It
is not true that "everything is on the Internet" and "everything
there is free," so printed materials are no longer necessary.
| Some
items you won't find are: |
Journal
articles found in subscription-only databases (such as NC LIVE).
|
Materials
from most books, especially those that are older, are not classics,
and are not in the public domain. Efforts to digitize books and
to provide new books in online format are growing, but still only
a tiny portion of books available in print are available online.
|
Newspaper articles that are older-from
6 months to a year. These are available in newspapers archives on
a for-pay basis. |
-
-
-
Determine
the appropriate search tools
There
are a number of ways to find web sites. The section below on Internet
Search Tools describes them. It is important to understand that you may
find a lot of related web sites when searching using Google, Alta Vista
or the "search " functions on other web sites. However, the
web sites you find may not support your research efforts by providing
scholarly information.
Match
your need with the appropriate tool
If
you need professionally refereed journal articles or primary research:
Use
the academic journal databases the Library provides: NCLIVE
(Academic Search Premier, MasterFile Premier, Psyc Info) and
Proquest Psyc Journals and PsycARTICLES .
Be
sure to limit your search to "scholarly" or "refereed"
journals.
Don't
use search engines. They usually do not retrieve journals.
Can
you use consumer-oriented materials?
If
you can use non-scholarly journals articles, use NC LIVE.
If
you can use web sites, search one of the subject directories listed
in the Internet Search Tools section.
Does
your project require graphics, audio or some other format than text?
Use
a search engine with a capability of searching by format.
Use
WorldCat on NC LIVE and search for
materials in format other than print.
Do
you want to buy something or do you just want to play?
Use
a search engine to find the web sites of stores and businesses.
Use
a search engine to find the kind of entertainment you're looking for.
Evaluating
Internet Resources
Your
use of the Internet carries with it the responsibility to evaluate the
quality of information accessed. Use CARS checklist to determine if the
web sites you've found are worthwhile to use for your research.
CARS
Checklist
(an
easy acronym to remember)
1.
CREDIBILITY Can you trust this site?
- Who is
the Author? (names, contact information, credentials, education, experience,
background, reputation among peers)
- What organization
sponsors this site? - known and respected corporate, government, or
non-profit?
- What domain
names are used? (Domain names are sometimes an indicator of authority-.gov,
.edu, .org, .com)
- What evidence
is there of Quality Control?
Look
out for poor grammar and anonymity.
2.
ACCURACY Is this information correct, exact, comprehensive, and
up to date?
- Check the
date the site was updated.
- Who is
the site intended for?
- What is
the goal or purpose?
Look
out for no date or old dates.
3.
REASONABLENESS Is the information fair, balanced, objective, and
correct?
- Is the
information one sided or slanted?
- Is it objective
and consistent?
- Is there
a conflict of interest? (What is the purpose of the site?)
Look
out for tone of language ("stupid jerks") and sweeping statements.
4. SUPPORT
Does this site indicate sources of support for its information?
- Where do
statistics come from?
- What documentation
of sources is included?
- Is there
a bibliography or links to other related sources?
- Is there
a contact listed?
Look
out for statistics with no sources and absence of documentation.
Harris,
Robert. A Guidebook to the Web.
Guilford,
CT: McGraw-Hill,2000
(Used
by permission)
Internet
Searching Tools-What They Are & Recommended Sites
Search
Engines |
| Search
engines are programs that search web pages and index them, creating
giant databases. |
| They
are useful to use when you have a lot of time to search a lot of
information. The more you learn about how to search each one efficiently,
the better your results will be and the less time you'll have to
spend sorting through the many, many web sites you'll find. |
| Metasearch
Engines |
Metasearch
engines are programs that search the databases that search engines
have already created. |
| These
are best to use in a pinch or to get started when you are in a hurry.
They will search in multiple places and they will show you which search
engines have the most citations. However, they have
major limitations. They omit some of the major search engines, and
they only touch a minor portion of the contents of the databases they
search. |
| Subject
Directories |
Also
called Portals or Gateways |
| Subject
directories are databases created by us humans, generally professionals,
who establish criteria for choosing sites to add, and who organize
the listing of the sites. |
These
are the tools to use as you begin researching topics. You will find
sites that are relevant to your topic and ones that you can be sure
are credible sites.
BE
SURE TO USE THE SEARCH BOX provided by the subject directories rather
than browsing through the categories. |
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