4.1. Internet Research
Internet is an important resource, which allows to make successful research, using a wide range of reading and researching strategies. In order to use this resource effectively, it is necessary for the writer to possess knowledge of how texts and ICT databases are organised, and apply this knowledge in practice. It is vital to remember, however, that Internet is a huge collection of information and that some of the information available on-line has not been evaluated or checked for consistency. Therefore, each and every resource intended to be used in the research should be carefully evaluated for appropriateness. Remember that search engines may interpret your queries differently and be sure to demonstrate flexibility while formulating the appropriate search query. Three primary ways to locate the necessary information on-line are: the subject directory, the search engine and the deep web. In many cases it is very useful to utilize the advanced search tool provided by the majority of search engines (look for "Advanced Search" link on the search engine homepage). In case some educational materials are needed, it is useful to restrict the search to .edu domains ("return results from the site or domain?); different publications will most certainly be accessible in .pdf format ("return results of the file format?); latest news will surely be available from the web-pages that were updated recently ("Return web pages updated in the?). Advanced search also provides the possibility to secure the search, restrict the search to exact phrase, or exclude the words - in other words, the options are quite wide, need little time for mastering and will obviously result in perceptible optimization of the search process. It is important to use different search engines, as major search engines are too widely used and may return nonspecific results. Below is the list of primary academic and professional subject directories and major search engines.
Primary Academic and Professional Subject Directories
Academic Info - gateway to college and research level Internet resources maintained by a former librarian Mike Madin and a volunteer group of subject specialists
AllLearn: Academic Directories - guides to high quality directories in the academic disciplines maintained for distance learners by Oxford, Stanford, and Yale Universities
The Best Information on the Net (BIOTN) - collection of academic resources maintained at St. Ambrose University in Iowa
BUBL Link - UK funded project of selective resources from the University of Strathclyde Library in Glasgow, Scotland
INFOMINE - large collection of scholarly Internet resources collectively maintained by several libraries, including those from the University of California
The Internet Public Library - large, selective collection from the University of Michigan
Librarians' Index to the Internet - carefully chosen, organized, and annotated directory maintained by a large group of librarians in California
Resource Discovery Network - searchable interface to major meta-sites in academic disciplines.
The Scout Report Archives - searchable database of 10,000+ critical summaries of Internet resources for the academic and research community
Scout Select Bookmarks - collection of meta-sites in several subject areas Subject Guides A to Z - extensive collection of subject pages from the University of Delaware Library
The WWW Virtual Library - highly respected guides to many disciplines sponsored by the W3 Consortium
Major Search Engines
Alta Vista
Ask Jeeves
Dogpile
Excite
GoNetwork
Google
HotBot
IndustryCentral
LookSmart
Lycos
Metacrawler
MSN Search
NBCi.com
Netscape
Northern Light
Search.com
WebCrawler
WhoWhere?
Yahoo |
