Information LiteracySearch Engine Techniques

& URL ANATOMY

Sullivan, Danny, ed. “comScore Media Metrix Search Engine Ratings.” Search Engine Watch. January 21, 2007. Online: http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2156431

•Search Engines

•Search or Web Directories

•Meta-Search Engines

Finding Information on the Web

• School Search Tools –K-5• School Search Tools – 6-8• School Search Tools 9-12

• Asian Institute of Technology List• Search Engines Compared• Speciality Search Engines

Some Lists of Search Tools

• The Good, The Bad and the UGLY!

• Cornell University Library

• Noodletools – Search Strategies!

Evaluating Websites

Why Evaluate Websites?Why become information

literate?

• EPIC 2014

ALAN NOVEMBER’S• INFORMATION LITERACY SITE

Evaluating Websites

• Can an author be identified, and is there

contact information? • What is the author's reputation and

qualifications in the subject? How important is the authority for this site?

• Does the author provide sources for information?

• Is there a sponsor? Is the sponsor reputable?

Evaluating Websites- AUTHORITY

• Why does the site exist? What is its purpose--to

instruct, inform, amuse, or persuade? • Is its purpose clearly stated or easily inferred, or does

there appear to be a hidden agenda, bias or ulterior motive to the presentation of the content?

• Who are the audiences for this site? Is the site appropriate for the intended audiences? Look at Domain Suffix clues: com - Commercial site; .edu-Educational institution; .gov – Government; .org - traditionally a non-profit organization; .mil –Military; .net – Network; various country codes – au, br, it, ca, mx, il,tw, uk.

Evaluating Websites- Objectivity (Scope, Audience, Bias)

• Is the site a "personal" page (often indicated

with a tilde before the directory name, as in www.myfunpage.com/~bobsmith)?

• Is it a student or class project?• How does the site compare with other sites

on the same subject?

Evaluating Websites- Objectivity (Scope, Audience, Bias)

• Is the site established for a temporary event

or activity? • Is the information up-to-date? • Is the date of the most recent update

provided on the webpage? • Do all of the links work on the website?

Evaluating Websites- CURRENCY

• Is the information error-free?• How thoroughly does the site cover its content areas?

Does it have information that can’t be found elsewhere?

• If the site provides opinion, rather than facts, are these opinions clearly identifiable as such?

• Does the point of view help balance other sites selected for your research?

• Does the site provide illustrations you would expect to find?

-Evaluating Websites- ACCURACY & CONTENT

• Do key features work? Do search engines function

within it, if they are part of the website? • How fast does the site load?• Does the site display error messages? • Are there pop-up ads or other kind of advertisement?

How frequently do they appear? What kind of content do these ads provide?

• Does the site require registration in order to access information or use features? Why does the site require registration? How much information is available anonymously? How much personal information is required to register?

-Evaluating Websites- FUNCTION

READING A URL

• Service://server/hostname/subdomain/domain/path/filename

• URL (Uniform Resource Locator)• IP ADDRESS: Internet Protocol

http://www.hcidata.co.uk/host2ip.htm • HTTP:// HyperText Transfer Protocol

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) • /pathname/• Web Competency & Information Literacy

Sources

Some Search Strategies

• Use quotation marks• Use + and – between words & phrases

(Boolean) “fiction stories” –science“types of poetry” + haiku

• Indicate domain: “types of poetry” +haiku +domain:edu (or –domain:net –domain:org)

• Use host: “George Washington” +host:www.timeforkids.com or host:www.whitehouse.gov

Some Search Strategies

• Use image: image:George Washington.jpg• Use title: title: “types of poetry”• Use URL: url:spanish worksheets or url:algebra

lesson plans• Use LINK: link:http://www.fairfield.edu/• Search for specific multimedia:

text (.doc, .txt, .pdf, .html); audio (.au, .aiff, .wav, .midi, .mp3, .ra); images (.gif, .jpg, .tiff, .bmp); video (.mov, .mpg, .movie, .moov, .avi, .rm) test your browser’s ability to handle various formats at: http://www.uncwil.edu/tc/mmtest

• COMBINE

SEARCH

TOOLS