Using the Internet for Research

The World Wide Web can be an excellent research tool.  Please be aware, though, that anybody can publish on the Web, and not all of the information that you find there is reliable.  For information on critically evaluating the information that you find on the Web, please see the Pace Library's guide to adapting evaluation criteria to Web resources.

For information on using Web search tools effectively, scroll down or click on one of the links below:

Using Subject Directories
Using Search Engines
Advanced Search Techniques
Searching for Scholarly Information
Other Internet Instruction Sites

USING SUBJECT DIRECTORIES

Subject directories organize information on the internet into hierarchical categories.  They allow you to find web sites related to your topic by clicking through a series of increasingly specific categories, or by typing a keyword into the directory's search box.  The Pace Library's Internet Resources page is one example of a subject directory. 

Other examples include the Librarian's Index to the Internet (http://lii.org), Infomine (http://infomine.ucr.edu/) and About.com (http://www.about.com/).  The following example uses Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com), one of the largest general-interest subject directories on the web:

Example:

Suppose that you are doing research on El Niño.  One way to locate relevant web sites is to browse Yahoo!'s subject directory.

Under Fields of Science, click on the word "Meteorology". You will see a list of subjects associated with meteorology.

Next, select "Weather Phenomena".  Note that there are over 900 pages associated with this category.

From the Weather Phenomena list, click on "El Niño and La Niña".

Your results should look something like this:

You can also search the subject directory by typing "el niño" in the search box provided.  The results should look like this:

The web sites that are included in subject directories are generally selected and arranged by editors, so the various directories differ substantially from one another.  You may find it helpful to try to find information on your topic in several directories.

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USING SEARCH ENGINES

Unlike subject directories, search engines allow you to search the full text of selected web pages, and retrieve pages that contain your search terms.  There are a number of different search engines available.  Most allow you to perform a simple keyword search, and also support more advanced search techniques.  The following example uses Google (http://www.google.com), one of the largest and most popular search engines on the web.

Example:

Suppose that you are looking for information about euthanasia.  You can use Google's search engine to access relevant web pages quickly.

From Google's home page, type the term "euthanasia" in the search box provided.  Then hit <Enter> or click on the "Google Search" button.  Note the links to the right of the search box.  "Preferences" allows you to specify your search language settings (the default is English) or to change the way that your results are displayed.  The "Advanced Search" feature allows you to target your search in various ways.  See the advanced search techniques section below for more information.

Your results from the "euthanasia" search should look like this:

For this search, Google returns more than 10 pages of search results, arranged according to "relevancy."  If, instead of the "Google Search" button, you had clicked on the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button, you would see only the first, or "most relevant," result.

It is important to remember that search engines determine relevancy in different ways, and that the end result may or may not agree with your idea of what is relevant.  Notice that the top result in the euthanasia search is an anti-euthanasia site.  While it is related to your topic, it may not be helpful if you are looking for arguments in favor of euthanasia.

Google also lists categories in its subject directory that may relate to your search, and, if applicable, current news on your search topic.

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ADVANCED SEARCH TECHNIQUES

Simple keyword searches are often effective, but can sometimes retrieve too many results that are only partially related to your topic.  Alternatively, you may find too little material.  Several techniques can help you refine or expand your search results.  Most search engines support some of all of these techniques.  All of the examples below use Google (http://www.google.com). 

Combining and Excluding Terms:

One way to narrow down your search results is to simply add words to your search statement.  By default, Google will look for documents that contain all of the words that you type into the search box.  The following search retrieves web pages that contain both the word "euthanasia" and the word "kevorkian":

Other search engines may work differently.  You may have to use a "plus" sign (+) or the word AND to combine terms.  In these cases, your search statements would be "+euthanasia +kevorkian" or "euthanasia AND kevorkian".

It is also possible to exclude terms from your search results.  Suppose that you wanted information on euthanasia that did not mention Dr. Kevorkian.  You could type "euthanasia NOT kevorkian" into the search box, or you could click on the Advanced Search button and do the following:

Type the term that you want to include (in this case, euthanasia) in the "with all of the words" search box, and then type the word you want to exclude in the "without the words" box.

This should remove pages mentioning Dr. Kevorkian from your search results.

In some cases, you may want to limit your results by searching for an exact phrase. You can do this by putting your phrase in "quotation marks," or on the Advanced search page, as so:

Phrase searching can be an effective way to increase the relevancy of your search results. 

Limiting Results:

Search engines usually provide you with several options for limiting results to sites meeting certain criteria.  Google allows you to limit by date (e.g. "in the last week"), language (e.g. English), or format (e.g. image, video, Javascript, or MP3) from its advanced search page.  You can limit your results to sites from certain countries, or from certain domains (e.g. "pace.edu" for Pace University pages only or ".edu" for educational sites).

Like subject directories, search engines differ from one another in the content they search and the results they retrieve.  It may be necessary to try your search on more than one search engine.  A list of search engines is available on the library's Internet Search Engines page.

Remember that most search engines provide online help or search tips.  The more you know about the search engine you are using, the better your search results will be.  For further information on the many search engines available, visit Search Engine Watch (http://www.searchenginewatch.com/).  This site provides a directory of search engines, as well as search tips, reviews and ratings.

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SEARCHING FOR SCHOLARLY INFORMATION

The Internet is a great place to shop, get directions, check movie times, read the news, find basic information, locate statistics, access government agency web sites and more and more it is becoming a place you can locate what is called "scholarly information." Your first stop for locating articles in the scholarly literature will most likely be a library subscription database; after you have exhausted those resources, you may want to try searching the Web.

First off, what is "scholarly information?" It is usually defined as:

How can you locate "scholarly information" on the Web? Try these sites:

Google Scholar http://scholar.google.com

• Searches library catalogs for books and monographs.
• Finds articles from online scholarly journals
  • Full access to these publications may be restricted to subscribers*
• Finds pre-prints, conference papers, and other “grey literature” that have been posted on the web.
• Finds works by a particular author

Directory of Open Access Journals http://www.doaj.org

• Selection criteria are in place within these publications, consistent with copyright, editorial review, authority, & other ideas linked with traditional scholarly publishing (in print).
• Quality Controlled
• Freely Accessible
• Research Oriented
• 400+ Journals are searchable

OAIster http://www.oaister.org

A searchable directory of Open Access Initiative compatible resources, including:

• Digital Repositories (research produced by members of a scholarly community, i.e. research publications by faculty members at a University; here is a link to the Pace digital repository, the DigitalCommons@Pace)
• Open Access Journals
• Images and other primary sources
• Miscellaneous OAI sites, such as rdn.ac.uk

Searching for scholarly information on the Web is an evolving process, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask a librarian for assistance!

OTHER INTERNET INSTRUCTION SITES

Bare Bones 101: A Very Basic Web Tutorial    http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/pages/bones/bones.shtml

Interactive tutorial from the University of South Carolina.

Finding Information on the Internet, The Teaching Library, University of California,  Berkeley    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

Includes information on search strategy, evaluation and citation, and provides links to high-quality Web resources.

Internet Tutorials, University at Albany Libraries    http://library.albany.edu/internet/

Includes instruction on using Netscape, the Internet, the World Wide Web, using the Internet for research and evaluating Internet Resources. Very thorough information.

Also See: Citing Resources 
and Evaluating Resources

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