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How to Effectively Use the Internet for Research
How to Effectively Use the Internet for Research
The Internet offers instant access to millions of documents on countless topics. It consists of a variety of access protocols that include e-mail, FTP, HTTP, Telnet and Usenet news. Many of these protocols feature programs that allow users to search for and retrieve material made available by the protocol.
One of the most efficient methods of conducting research on the Internet is to use the World Wide Web. Some of the most effective ways to tap into this resource include visiting individual Websites, exploring subject directories and using search engines.
Individual Websites If you know the Internet address of a site you want to visit, you can use a Web browser, such as Internet Explorer, to access the site directly. Just type the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Web address into your browser window to pull up the site.
If you don’t know the address, make an educated guess. Web addresses of companies are often formatted as www.companyname.com (e.g., www.microsoft.com). University web addresses are typically formatted as www.universityname or acronym.edu (e.g., www.ilstu.edu or www.iwu.edu). Likewise, government agency addresses are typically formatted as www.agency name acronym.gov (e.g., www.hud.gov or www.doj.gov). Subject Directories Increasingly, universities, libraries, companies, organizations, and even volunteers are creating subject directories to catalog parts of the Internet. Directories are organized by topic and consist of links to Internet resources relating to a wide variety of areas. They are useful for researching general subjects, topics that need exploring, and for browsing.
To get an idea of the range of directories available on the Web, start with Internet Subject Directories (http://library.albany.edu/internet/subject.html). You can also explore popular private directories like Yahoo, The Open Directory Project and Looksmart. If you need scholarly material, try: •The Librarians' Index: (www.liii.org) — This is a great way to explore a large number and variety of sources. Supported by a federal grant, this directory is the result of a large number of Californian librarians selecting and annotating Web resources across a broad range of topics. •The WWW Virtual Library: (www.vlib.org) — One of the oldest and most respected subject directories on the Web, this directory consists of individual subject collections, many of which are maintained at universities throughout the world. •INFOMINE (www.infomine.ucr.edu) — A large directory of Web sites of scholarly interest compiled by the University of California, this resource can be browsed or searched by subject, keyword, or title. Each site listed is accompanied by a description.
Search Engines Search engines allow the user to enter keywords relating to a topic and retrieve information about Internet sites containing those keywords. Many search engines compile a database spanning multiple Internet protocols, including HTTP, FTP, and Usenet. They may also search multimedia or other file types on what is known as the “deep Web.” Some of the most popular search engines are Google, MSN, Ask Jeeves and Alta Vista.
Technically, a search engine service consists of three parts, a spider, index and search engine mechanism. The spider is a program that combs the Web from link to link, identifying and reading pages. The index is a database containing a copy of each Web page gathered by the spider. And the search engine mechanism is software that enables users to query the index.
Here’s how search engines work: With most search engines, you fill out a form with your search terms and then ask that the search proceed. The engine explores its index and generates a page with links to those resources containing some or all of your terms. These resources are usually presented in ranked order according to term relevancy.
Check for Accuracy and Reliability Since the Internet is a self-publishing medium, anyone with the necessary technical skills can place information on the Web. Therefore, it’s important to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of your research information. You should consider: •Who published the information - A site maintained by a university or government organization is probably more reliable than one maintained by a private individual.
•Who wrote the information - You can probably assume that material written or otherwise provided by a known expert in the field is likely to be reliable.
•The age of the material - If you need current statistics, carefully check the age of the material you’ve found. A site dealing with historical information may not need updating as frequently as one related to news and current events.
•Why the material exists - Many special interest groups have Web pages. And while this doesn't necessarily mean the material is biased, it’s something you should consider. Think about whether they might have some reason, other than pure helpfulness, for posting information.
For the most successful Internet research, try to cross-check the information you find as much as possible. Explore another site with similar material, ask someone who’s knowledgeable about the topic, review a book on the subject or weigh the information against what you already know.
About the Author
Copyright 2004, Kate Smalley Connecticut Secretary Freelance Secretarial and Transcription Services http://www.connecticutsecretary.com kate@connecticutsecretary.com
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Tucows Downloads - Download Freeware and Shareware Software |
Download freeware, shareware, and demos. Maintains over 45000 software titles that are tested, rated, reviewed and ready to download. |
www.tucows.com |
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Free Software Downloads and Software Reviews - Download.com |
Download shareware, freeware and Demo software for PC, Mac, Linux, and Handhelds categorized into categories, plus software reviews. |
www.download.com |
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Computer software - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
This includes application software such as a word processor, which enables a ... Application software is often purchased separately from computer hardware. ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Shareware.com - Search for shareware programs and free software ... |
Search for shareware programs from more than a dozen downloadable software directories. |
www.shareware.com |
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Jumbo: Free & Shareware MP3 files, Games, Screen Savers & Computer ... |
Source of free and shareware computer programs and utilities for PC and Mac. Evaluate software and read product reviews. Download games and screen savers. |
www.jumbo.com |
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Computer Software in the Yahoo! Directory |
Browse categories featuring sites devoted to computer software, including shareware and freeware download sites, operating systems, desktop customization, ... |
dir.yahoo.com |
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IEEE Software |
IEEE Computer Society's magazine covering all aspects of software, including software engineering. |
www.computer.org |
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Free Downloads on ZDNet | Shareware, Trialware, Evaluation Software |
ZDNet's Software Directory is the Web's largest library of software downloads. Covering software for Windows, Mac, and Mobile systems, ZDNet's Software ... |
downloads.zdnet.com |
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FSF - The Free Software Foundation |
Free software is a matter of liberty not price. Think of "free" as in "free speech". |
www.fsf.org |
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Apple - Software |
Software products for your digital life. ... The perfect addition for professional review. QuickTime Broadcaster. Encoding software for live events. ... |
www.apple.com |
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Open Directory - Computers: Software |
In Partnership with AOL Search. about dmoz | report abuse/spam | help. the entire directory, only in Computers/Software. Top: Computers: Software (38471) ... |
dmoz.org |
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freshmeat.net: Welcome to freshmeat.net |
About: The Web browser is probably the most frequently used software today, ... Web professionals can use the software for functional testing and regression ... |
freshmeat.net |
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Software - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF) |
Listing of the GNU software packages. |
www.gnu.org |
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Sun Software |
Get enterprise-class software--Solaris 10 OS, the Java Enterprise System, ... Sun Java StorageTek Software reduces cost and complexity with a single, ... |
www.sun.com |
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Internet Real Estate.com -- owns and operates a portfolio of the ... |
SOFTWARE.COM · SWEEPSTAKES.COM · PHONE.COM PODCAST.COM ... Software.com | Sweepstakes.com | Phone.com | Podcast.com | Shop.com | Safety.com ... |
www.internetrealestate.com |
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Joel on Software |
A weblog by Joel Spolsky, a programmer working in New York City, about software and software companies. |
www.joelonsoftware.com |
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Amazon.com Software: Computer & video games, business, accounting ... |
Online shopping for computer & video games, business & office productivity software, software from Microsoft, Apple, Adobe & more; accounting, antivirus, ... |
www.amazon.com |
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IBM Software - Home Page |
IBM home page for all of its software products, including Lotus and Tivoli, with keyword search, category browse and AZ product names. |
www.ibm.com |
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Opera web browser: Homepage |
Copyright © 2006 Opera Software ASA. All rights reserved. Skip navigation. Opera Software ... Copyright Opera Software ASA . All rights reserved. ... |
www.opera.com |
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Google Directory - Computers > Software |
Search only in Software Search the Web ... Software Categorized by Letter: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ... |
www.google.com |
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