What they are
When to Use Them
And Why
Search Engines vs. Databases
What is a Search Engine
Definition
A search engine is a service that utilizes a
computer program to search the Internet and
identify items that match the characters and
keywords entered by a user.
How they Work
Use proprietary computer programs to find items
that match the keywords entered.
These programs use spiders to crawl over the world
wide web to find information.
Spiders (also called webcrawlers) are specific to a
search engine, ie. Google makes sure its spiders are
programmed to find sources they own to list first in
their results.
Examples of Search Engines
Google
Alta Vista
Dogpile
Bing
Search Engine PROS
FREE to anyone with computer access
Can find information on:
-Organizations
-Groups (ie. Social Networking Sites)
-Businesses
-Personal Web Pages
Search Engines Cons
FREE to anyone with
computer access.
Information not
organized ~difficult to
narrow down results
and find relevant
materials.
Search Engine Cons (Cont.)
Limited quality control
-open to consumer influence
(ie. Wikepedia)
-open to business influences
(ie. Wikepedia)
Information not stable
~location and content continually change.
World Wide Web
Anyone can create their own Website
http://www.smokershistory.com/
Anyone can say they are someone else and
create their own website.
http://www.rythospital.com/2008/
WHO
WHAT
WHEN
WHERE
WHY
THE FIVE W’s of WEB SITE
EVALUATION
WHO
Who wrote the pages and are they an expert?
Is a biography of the author included? How
can I find out more about the author?
http://www.dhmo.org/
WHAT
What does the author say is the purpose of
the site? What else might the author have in
mind for the site? What information is
included and does this information differ
from other sites?
http://www.thedogisland.com
WHEN
When was the site created?
http://www.dreamweaverstudios.com/moonbe
am/moon.htm
When was the site last updated?
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planets/m
oonpage.html
WHERE
Where does the information come from?
Where can I look to find out more about the
sponsor of the site?
www.martinlutherking.org
http://shardsoglass.com
Free Search Engines with a Purpose
http://www.intute.ac.uk/
www.scirus.com
http://lii.org/
http://scholar.google.com
WHY
Why is this information useful for my
purpose?
Why should I use this information?
Why is this page better than another?
Web Site Citations
Complete publication information may not be available for a Web site; provide what is
given.
Entire Internet Site: Scholarly Project or Professional Site [5.9.2]
Title of the Site. Editor. Date and/or Version Number. Name of Sponsoring Institution. Date of Access <URL>.
Encyclopedia Mythica. 2004. 13 May 2004 <http://www.pantheon.org/>.
Document from a Web Site [5.9.1]
Author. "Title of Web Page." Title of the Site. Editor. Date and/or Version Number. Name of Sponsoring Institution. Date of
Access <URL>.
Sherman, Chris. "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About URL." SearchEngineWatch. Ed. Danny Sullivan. 24 Aug.
2004. 4 Sept. 2004 <http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3398511>.
Some Sites Cite for you . . . .
www.scirus.com
Databases like the ones Rangeview
subscribes to :
EBSCO (Magazine Articles)/American
History/American Government/ and World
History will all cite sources for you.
http://rangeview.aurorak12.org/
What is a Database?
Definition
A database is a collection of electronic
information organized in a way that allows a
user to easily retrieve information.
Databases are usually collections of journal and
magazine articles, reviews, and abstracts.
Examples of Databases
EBSCO (Edward B. Stephens Company)
Atomic Learning
Discovery (United Streaming)
ABC-CLIO
Database Cons
Costly~ tens of thousands of
dollars
Yearly Renewals
Do not own the material
Database Cons
Costly~ tens of thousands of
dollars
Yearly Renewals
Do not own the material
Database PROS
Information is reviewed
(Legitimate Sources)
Information is organized
(Relevant Sources)
Information is stable
(No outside access/influence)
