Effectively Conducting Research on the Internet Library Research Skills Seminar Problems with Using the Internet for Research: Anyone can create and post a website. Pages may not be updated regularly Selection guidelines for search engines do not exist. Problems with Using the Internet for Research: According to research by Samuel Ebersole at the University of Southern California only 27% of 500 sites randomly selected for review were considered to be good sources of information. Source: Alexander Colhoun, April 25, 2000, Christian Science Monitor/p16s1.html Wikipedia It is important to realize that anyone can change and revise the information on the Wikipedia site. Wikipedia can be used to give a general overview of information, but you need to verify specific information with another source. Google If used effectively Google can give you lots of information. Google is the biggest search engine Very easy to use Ranks information according to word proximity, placement, and popularity. Google cont. Google includes databases for images, maps, news, blogs, scholarly articles and books. Other Commonly Used Search Engines Finding Expert Pages & Databases Look in the Google directory:mm Look in the Yahoo directory: Finding Expert Pages & Databases cont. If you see references to directories or databases check them out. Also look for and add the terms society or association to your search in order to find professional organizations dedicated to your topic. Example: The American Medical Association How to Evaluate Internet Resources Look at the URL-is it a personal page or a site. Is the information being published by a reliable source or agency? Can you tell who wrote it? Is there a page author, organization, institution or agency that you might recognize? How to Evaluate Internet Resources Look at the following: About Us Background or Biography and check the websites credentials. Check to see if the website is maintained and current. Examine the content in order to discover the purpose of the article, any bias, or sources (are there links to the sources)? Tips for Making the Most of Your Search Be as specific as possible Example: XYZ Affair v. American and French interactions Try to use formal terms Exclude or + include words Sources Gary Ellerman, Module 13. Evaluating Internet Resources John Kupersmith, Google and Beyond,u/TeachingLib/Guides/Inter net/Handouts.htmlu/TeachingLib/Guides/Inter net/Handouts.html