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Effective Online Search Strategies: A Comprehensive Guide to Researching the Web

This selective bibliography focuses on essential resources for improving online research skills. Highlighted works include *Researching Online for Dummies*, *The Extreme Searcher's Guide to Web Search Engines*, and *The Invisible Web*. Topics covered include effective search techniques using search engines, directories, and specialized databases. It also addresses issues such as credibility, reliability, and currentness of information. The guide emphasizes the importance of defining search objectives, utilizing Boolean operators, and mastering advanced searching methodologies to enhance the overall research experience.

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Effective Online Search Strategies: A Comprehensive Guide to Researching the Web

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  1. Searching the Web Don Latham School of Information Studies

  2. (Very) Selective Bibliography • Researching Online for Dummies, 2nd ed. (Basch & Bates) • Search Engines for the World Wide Web: Visual Quickstart Guide, 3rd ed. (Glossbrenner & Glossbrenner) • The Extreme Searcher’s Guide to Web Search Engines, 2nd ed. (Hock) • The Invisible Web (Sherman & Price)

  3. Why learn to search? • For your own satisfaction. • For your professional edification: • To find material about teaching • To find materials to use in class • To teach students how to search

  4. Issues related to Web searching • There’s just TOO MUCH!!! • I know it’s there but I can’t find it! • Anybody can put something on the Web. • How good is it? How reliable? • How current is it? • Can I find it again tomorrow?

  5. Two BIG issues • How to search effectively & efficiently • Where to search

  6. How to search • Do a “reference interview” with yourself: • What are you looking for? Be as specific as possible. • What are some synonyms? • What do you plan to do with the information? • How current does the information need to be? • Where should you start looking?

  7. How to search (cont.) • Decide where to search: • Search engines & meta-search engines • Directories • Mega-sites • Library catalogs • Ready reference sites • Online databases

  8. How to search (cont.) • Try these strategies: • Basic search first • Boolean search • Field search • Truncation, wild card search

  9. Advanced searching • Boolean search • AND (returns both terms) • Internet and business • OR (returns either term) • AIDS or HIV • NOT (returns one term but not the other) • Panthers not football

  10. Advanced searching • Field search • Title • URL • In a library catalog • Keyword (every field) • Author • Title • Subject

  11. Questions • What’s the difference between a keyword search and a subject search? • Does this matter on the Web? • Where does this really apply?

  12. Advanced searching • Truncation & wild cards • Ex: child* [AltaVista—search engine] child? [Dialog--database] child! [Lexis-Nexis--database] Be careful: What would cat* return?

  13. Any questions so far? • What is a reference interview? • What are the three Boolean operators? • What is truncation and why it is useful?

  14. Where to go to search • Search engines • AltaVista (“deep” search engine) www.altavista.com • HotBot (sponsored by Wired magazine) www.hotbot.com • Excite (features concept searching) www.excite.com • GO Network www.go.com

  15. Where else? • Meta-search engines • Ask Jeeves (natural language searching) www.askjeeves.com • Dogpile www.dogpile.com • Invisible Web www.invisibleweb.com

  16. Where else? • Specialty search engines • Beaucoup (links to over 2000 search engines) www.beaucoup.com • Yahoo! People Search people.yahoo.com • infoUSA (reverse phone #’s) www.infousa.com • MapQuest www.mapquest.com

  17. Where else? • Directories (actually hybrids) • Yahoo! www.yahoo.com • AltaVista • Excite • WWW Virtual Library (Tim Berners-Lee) vlib.org • Argus Clearinghouse (directory of directories) clearinghouse.net

  18. Also . . . • Ready reference sites • Internet Public Library www.ipl.org/ref • Virtual Reference Desk thorplus.lib.purdue.edu/reference • World Factbook (produced by the CIA) www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html • Encyclopedia Britannica britannica.com

  19. Also . . . • Online library catalogs (OPAC’s) • Library of Congress lcweb.loc.gov • National Library of Medicine www.nlm.nih.gov • College & university libraries • Local public libraries • School libraries

  20. Also . . . • Online databases (if you have access) • Access is often available to people in schools, colleges, and universities • Lexis-Nexis (Scholastic Universe / Academic Universe) • FirstSearch • Uncover • netLibrary (online books)

  21. Also . . . • Mega-sites • Company websites • Organizations (American Heart Association, for example) • “Guru” sites—people with obsessions (and often knowledge too!) • Government sites

  22. Also . . . • More Mega-sites • News sites • Newspapers • CNN, MSNBC, ESPN • Colleges & universities • State & local agencies • Local agencies • Consumer groups

  23. Also . . . • More Mega-sites • Business information • Health information • Scientific information • SciCentral www.scicentral.com • How Stuff Works www.howstuffworks.com

  24. Questions? Comments? Don Latham latham@lis.fsu.edu

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