Week 8:
Using Web Sources for Research
How the Internet Works
How do search engines work?
• The perfect search engine “understands exactly what you mean AND gives you back exactly what you want”
-- Larry Page
(Google co-founder)
How does a search engine work?
Keyword
Matching
Ranking
Algorithm • Relevance• Popularity• Currency
How Google Works
Which Search Engine do you prefer?
Search Share – August 2013
- comScore, Sept. 11, 2013
67%
18%
11%
3% 1%
Bing
Yahoo
Ask
AOL
Percentage of search queries conducted
How to Search More Effectively
Tips for searching on Google• Keyword searching: choose the right
terms!
• AND is assumed:If want info on voting AND youth, type in:
voting youth
• OR have to type in OR:If want info on diversity OR multiculturalism, type in:
diversity OR multiculturalism
Search Tips (contd.)
• Can search for synonyms with “~”
~college
Searches not only for college, but also for any synonyms of college, like university
Search Tips (contd.)• Exact phrases: To search for an exact
phrase or name, put it in quotation marks
“higher education”
• Limit search to top level domain: To find sites that have the same kind of top level domain (e.g., .edu, .gov)
site:.edu
site:.gov
Infographic
What is the Deep [Invisible] Web?
Did you know?
• Search engines index less than 10% of the entire Web!
• The remaining 90% = Invisible Web!
Different Types of Websites
How do you know which sites to use?
• Experience
• Limit to Top Level Domain
• Evaluate using CRAAP Test or other model
• Ask a Professor or Librarian
Limit searches to Top Level Domains• Limit your searches
to particular types of websites:
• .gov
• .org
• .edu
• .com
• Google search:
• Google search limited to govt sites
Women combat us military
Women combat us military site:.gov
Evaluating websites…
• Currency
• Relevance
• Authority
• Accuracy
• Purpose
Ask an expert to recommend sites!
Medline PLUS
Discovery System• Single search
• Search the entire library collection at once
Homework: Final Self-Assessment
Capstone Project DUE!• NLT 11:59 pm Friday, May 2
• 90 points
• Assignment rubric and grading criteria are in Week 8 module
• Submit as a document (.doc, .docx, or .pdf) in the Discussion Board
INAS Rubric
INAS Grading Criteria