HOW TO SEARCH THE INTERNET
What is the Internet?
What is the Web?
What is a URL?
Evaluating Internet Sources
How to find a site by its "address"
What is the Internet?
The Internet is the network to end all networks: A global association of thousands of networks linking millions of computers for the purpose of sharing information. The term "information highway" probably best describes the function of the Internet; it is the networked system of communication lines through which computer-generated data travels. Because of its huge scope, the Internet is easily accessed, but until the development of the World Wide Web, it was often difficult to search for information in a logical fashion.
What is the Web?
Although the terms "Web" and "Internet" often are used interchangeably, the Web is actually a subset of the Internet - an Internet operating system or environment, just as Windows is a PC environment. The Web appears as a collection of sites that are made up of individual pages written in a code known as HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). HTML allows linkage between pages (and to audio, video, and image files) using a series of hyperlinks, usually displayed onscreen as underlined and highlighted text. Clicking on this text allows you to move between and within Internet sites. A Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) or Netscape Navigator, is your graphical interface to the Web; the toolbars you see at the top of your computer screen which provide navigation features are part of the browser.
What is a URL?
Suppose you are watching your favorite cooking show on the Food Network and don't quite catch all the ingredients for the recipe of the day. If you remember the show's Web address - http://www.foodtv.com - you just may be able to find the recipe on their Website. This "address" is known as a URL, a Uniform Resource Locater. The basic format of a URL is:
(often the host.domain is preceded by www. as is the case with Shorter's Website: http://www.shorter.edu)
The protocol tells you the type of document you are viewing. Most URLs you will come across (and the only ones this lesson will address) will begin with http. This tells you the document is in hypertext. Other protocol prefixes are gopher (a gopher site consisting of a menu of files); telnet (a computer site you reach using the Telnet software); and ftp or file (a computer site with downloadable files).
The host.domain can tell you a lot about a site because it identifies the site's host and the type of organization the host is; for example, shorter.edu lets you know that this site is hosted by an educational institution. The current US domains are:
.com - a commercial business
.edu - an educational institution
.gov - a governmental institution
.org - a non-profit organization
.mil - a military site
.net - a network site
Knowing the domain of a site gives you a good idea of its potential as a research source. Obviously, something published by an educational or governmental institution has more credibility and less likelihood of bias than something published through a commercial site. The following section explains in further detail how to evaluate web sites as research sources, and is reprinted with permission.
EVALUATING INTERNET SOURCES
From Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources by Esther Grassian, UCLA College Library..
The World Wide Web has a lot to offer, but not all sources are equally valuable or reliable. Here are some points to consider. For additional points regarding Web sites for subject disciplines, see Thinking Critically About Discipline-Based World Wide Web Resources.
Content & Evaluation
- Who is the audience?
- What is the purpose of the Web Page & what does it contain?
- How complete and accurate are the information and the links provided?
- What is the relative value of the Web site in comparison to the range of information resources available on this topic? (Note: Be sure to check with a librarian.)
- What other resources (print & non-print) are available in this area?
- What are the date(s) of coverage of the site and site-specific documents?
- How comprehensive is this site?
- What are the link selection criteria if any?
- Are the links relevant and appropriate for the site?
- Is the site inward-focused, pointing outward, or both?
- Is there an appropriate balance between inward-pointing links ("inlinks," i.e., within the same site) & outward-pointing links ("outlinks," i.e., to other sites)?
- Are the links comprehensive or do they just provide a sampler?
- What do the links offer that is not easily available in other sources?
- Are the links evaluated in any way?
- Is there an appropriate range of Internet resources-e.g., links to gophers?
- Is multimedia appropriately incorporated?
- How valuable is the information provided in the Web Page (intrinsic value)?
Source & Date
- Who is the author or producer?
- What is the authority or expertise of the individual or group that created this site?
- How knowledgeable is the individual or group on the subject matter of the site?
- Is the site sponsored or co-sponsored by an individual or group that has created other Web sites?
- Is any sort of bias evident?
- When was the Web item produced?
- When was the Web item mounted?
- When was the Web item last revised?
- How up to date are the links?
- How reliable are the links?
- Are there blind links, or references to sites which have moved?
- Is contact information for the author or producer included in the document?
- Does the document follow good graphic design principles?
- Do the graphics and art serve a function or are they decorative?
- Do the icons clearly represent what is intended?
- Does the text follow basic rules of grammar, spelling and literary composition?
- Is there an element of creativity, and does it add to or detract from the document itself?
- Can the text stand alone for use in line-mode (text only) Web browsers as well as multimedia browsers, or is there an option for line-mode browsers?
- Is attention paid to the needs of the disabled-e.g., large print and graphics options; audio; alternative text for graphics?
- Are links provided to Web "subject trees" or directories-lists of subject-arranged Web sources?
- How usable is the site? Can visitors get the information they need within a reasonable number of links (preferably 3 or fewer clicks)?
- Is appropriate interactivity available?
- When it is necessary to send confidential information out over the Internet, is encryption (i.e., a secure coding system) available?
- How secure is it?
- Are there links to search engines or is a search engine attached to (embedded in) the Web site?
© Regents of the University of California
Created by Esther Grassian, UCLA College Library, 6/95.
Permission is granted for unlimited non-commercial use of this guide.
HOW TO VISIT A WEBSITE USING ITS URL (ADDRESS)
The screens below demonstrate searches done using Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) browsers. Screens using other browsers, such as Netscape, will look slightly different, but will have similar icons and toolbars.
If you have the URL of a site you wish to visit, type the URL into the "Address" text box near the top of the screen. Be sure to type the URL accurately; making a typo or leaving out a slash or period will prevent connection. Press the return key or click the green "Go" button and you should connect to that address. It sometimes takes a while for the connection to be made; you will be able to tell if MSIE is still trying to connect by looking for the waving flag near the top right of the screen. If the search is taking too long, or you wish to change your search terms, you may click "Stop" on the menu toolbar to abort the search. "Back" acts as an escape key and allows you to click backwards through your search one screen at a time.
If you do not have a specific location to visit, but wish to find sites with material on a particular subject, you will wish to perform a Web search. There are a number of ways of going about searching the Web. You may search using one or more keywords; you may combine keywords using Boolean operators; or you may turn to a Web directory, which arranges sites by some sort of subject classification.
Searching the Internet by Keyword
You may type a search term directly into the address bar, or click the "Search" icon on the browser and follow the instructions that will appear in the left frame. MSIE's own search engine will then find sites on the Web containing that term. Alternatively, you may wish to use one of the more popular search engines. For a list of search engines, see Search Engine Watch's Major Search Engines and Directories page.
Type your search term(s) into the empty text box; keep in mind that a search may be one word, several key words, such as "violence and schools," a proper name, etc. After typing your search, you can either click the green "Go" button or press your keyboard's "Enter" key to bring up the results of your search.
When your search has been entered, the next screen will tell you how many results have been retrieved (notice the words, Results 1 - 15 of about 1684 containing the word "workteams" on the screen above the first Web link). You will need to scroll down to view all of the results. In order to link to any of the sites retrieved, click on the highlighted text on the first line of each site description. Results are displayed in groups of fifteen. At the bottom of each page, you will have the option to click on the next screen of results, until all have been viewed. Clicking your browser's "Back" button will allow you to back out of your search screen by screen. Keep in mind that the sites which come up may have nothing to do with what you are looking for; they just have your search terms somewhere within their text.
If your results are not what you wanted, you have several options. You may wish to try the search using a different search engine. Studies have shown that although there is some overlap between results using different search engines on the same search, overall, the results will vary engine to engine. Keep in mind that each search engine provides a "help" or "searching hints" link that you can click to familiarize yourself with any special features of that search engine.
You also might want to change your search entirely. If you didn't receive enough results, your search terminology may have been too narrow; perhaps you tried to combine too many concepts in your search (also be sure that your terms are spelled correctly). If you don't get enough results, broaden your search by removing search terms.
If you received many results which were unrelated to your topic, your search terminology may have been too broad, such as using the term "violence" when your paper topic is actually "violence in schools." If you get too many unrelated results, focus your search by adding additional search terms. Boolean searching allows you to combine terms to focus results and maximize searching effectiveness. See the instructions below.
Boolean searching refers to searching for more than one term at the same time by combining terms using AND, OR, or NOT. AND, OR and NOT are called Boolean operators.
AND - all keywords connected with "and" must be in a document;
OR - any of the search terms may be in a document;
NOT - the word following "not" may not be in a document.
Steroids AND Sports
Cars OR Autos
Virus NOT Aids
Many of the search engines allow for this type of searching. Be sure to check the "Help" screens to find out for sure.
Searching the Internet by Subject
Web directories present another possibility for searching the World Wide Web, one that has distinct advantages over simple keyword searching. While keyword searching allows you to find documents that contain certain words, it does not allow for searching by concept. For example, a BSM student searching for the word "management" on the Web might turn up endless sites that discuss diabetes management, wildlife management, or sports team management, none of which is likely to do him or her much good.
Web directories, on the other hand, organize sites by topic. They are arranged like encyclopedias. The most well-known of these directories are:
Lesser-known but valuable directories include:
- The Invisible Web (http://www.invisible-web.net)
- Profusion (http://www.profusion.com)
- Infomine (http://infomine.ucr.edu/), a collection of scholarly information resources.
Finally, the Fossick Web Search Alliance (http://fossick.com) and CompletePlanet (http://www.completeplanet.com/) are search engines of specialty directories and search engines. If, for instance, you needed a Web directory specific to the humanities, you might use one of these services to locate the Humbul Humanities Hub (http://www.humbul.ac.uk/).
As a general rule, use lowercase letters when searching, unless the search term is a proper name.
If a URL does not connect:
Check your typing. Making spelling errors, leaving out a period or adding a slash can prevent connection.
Often, you can connect by deleting the last parts of the URL (click at the end of the URL in the location box and backspace until you reach the first forward slash from the cursor). There should be a link from there to the file for which you are searching.
Become familiar with several different search engines. Read "Help" screens.
If your search doesn't yield the results you want:
- Consider using different terms or adding or subtracting terms from your original search; be sure you are using the most descriptive key words.
- Select another search engine and try the search again.
- Click on each engine's "search hints" or "help" button to make sure you are using it correctly.
Use quotation marks around a multi-word phrase so that it will be searched as a phrase rather than as individual terms.
Use Boolean searching when a search engine allows it (check the "Help" screens.)