Effective Internet

Research
The Internet has made our lives easier especially in
terms of doing research. By browsing the internet,
we can access limitless topics. Web-based catalogs
are available in many libraries to assist researchers
in locating printed books, journals, government
documents and other materials. The biggest obstacle
facing all researchers on the internet is how to
effectively and efficiently access the vast amount of
information available (The Internet: Research Tools,
2013).
•Use the Internet as a tool for
credible research and
information gathering to best
achieve specific objectives.
SEARCHING THE WEB
There are billions of
information on the web and it
is a challenge for us to truly
find which information is
reliable and relevant.
SEARCH ENGINES
• These are websites used for retrieval of data, files, or documents from
data bases. Some search engines we use today are:
ANATOMY OF URL
• A URL is one type of Uniform Resource
Identifier (URI). It is a generic term for all
types of names and addresses that refer to
objects on the World Wide Web. Knowing
the URL endings will give clues to who is
sponsoring the website and help evaluate
the sources.
1. Protocol
2. Subdomain
3. Domain
4. Top-level Domain
5. Folder/Paths
6. Page
7. Named Anchor
SEARCH SKILLS
AND TOOLS
BOOLEAN LOGIC
• narrows, broadens, or eliminates search terms.
PHASE SEARCHING
• is used to search for famous quotes, proper names,
recommendations, etc. It encloses the phrase in
quotation marks.
• Ex. “Jane Doe” “To be or not to be”
PLUS (+)
• Indicates that the word after the sign is required
that must be found in a search.
Example: +fire
MINUS (-)
• Indicates to exclude a word from your search that
is not required on the result.
Example: Jaguar speed – car
AMPERSAND - (@)
• Is used to find social tags.
Example: @SteveJobs
HASHTAG – (#)
• Is used to find popular hashtags.
Example: #LawOfClassroom
FINDING DOCUMENTS
• Using the filetype refines the search for documents on
the web.
o filetype: pdf
o filetype: doc
o filetype: xls
Ex. ICT in the Philippines pdf
SEARCHING SITE
• The sites find web pages from a website.
Ex.: National Geographic information in Australia

Search: Australia site: NationalGeographic.com

ACTIVITY: CAN YOU FIND ME
• Directions: Use the Internet to research a news article
on Information. This information must come from a
government site in a PDF or Word document. Print
the article and paste your work on a separate sheet of
paper. Do not forget to include the URL of the article
you have taken the information.
 EVALUATING SITES
• The web provides access to some excellent
information and can also give access to those
that are irrelevant and outdated. Here is some
checklist that you can use to evaluate your
website:
AUTHORITY
It reveals that the person, institution, or agency responsible for a site has the
qualifications and knowledge to do so. Evaluating a website for authority:
•  Authorship: It should be clear who developed the site.
•  Contact information should be provided: e-mail address, snail mail
address, phone number, and fax number.
•  Credentials: the author should state qualifications, credentials, or
personal background that gives them authority to present information.
•  Check to see if the site is supported by an organization or a
commercial body.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the information presented on the site should be clear. Some
sites are meant to inform, persuade, state an opinion, entertain, or parody
something or someone. Evaluating a website for purpose:
 Does the content support the purpose of the site?
 Is the information geared to a specific audience (students, scholars,
general readers)?
 Is the site organized and focused?
 Are the outside links appropriate for the site?
 Does the site evaluate the links?
COVERAGE
This refers to how comprehensive the website is in its discussion of certain
topics. Evaluating a website for coverage:
 Does the site claim to be selective or comprehensive?
 Are the topics explored in depth?
 Compare the value of the site’s information compared to other similar
sites.
 Do the links go to outside sites rather than its own?
 Does the site provide information with no relevant outside links?
CURRENCY
It refers to: (1) how current the information presented is, and (2)
how often the site is updated or maintained. It is important to
know when a site was created when it was last updated, and if all
of the links are current. Evaluating a website for currency
involves finding the date information:
•  first written
•  placed on the web
•  last revised
OBJECTIVITY
Objective sites present information with a minimum of bias. Evaluating a
website for objectivity:
•  Is the information presented with a particular bias?
•  Does the information try to sway the audience?
•  Does site advertising conflict with the content?
•  Is the site trying to explain, inform, persuade, or sell something?
ACCURACY
It refers to the credibility of the website. Evaluating a website for accuracy:
•  Reliability: Is the author affiliated with a known, respectable institution?
•  References: do statistics and other factual information receive proper
references as to their origin?
•  Is the information comparable to other sites on the same topic?
• Does the text follow basic rules of grammar, spelling, and
composition?
•  Is a bibliography or reference list included?