Smart Searching

Information Literacy Quiz

Anyone can create a website!

• What does this mean for you?– Be cautious and skeptical of

the information you have found on personal websites.

– Always evaluate the content as well as the background of the website’s author.

– Be specific in your searches, there are millions of sites and you want your results to be as precise as possible.

How to search correctly• Understanding “+” “-”

“and” “or”– Searches often do not

include common word such as, who, what and where.

– To include all words in a search use the + or “”.

– To exclude certain words use the –

– To return larger search results use or in your search.

You have your results, now what?• Evaluate the content of the

site.– M A P

• Meta-Web Information – the structure of information on the Internet, including URLs, links, and search engines

• Author – anyone can post information on the Internet; credentials, such as professor or doctor, should not be accepted without evaluation.

• Purpose – most sites sell products or services, advocate ideas, entertain, and/or present information

Meta-Web Information• How did you find the site?• What kind of links does the site

contain?• How do you know what site you are

looking at?– Look at the URL (Uniform Resource

Locator), the web site’s "address."

URL: http:// www. cybercrime.gov /meliinfo.htm

means: Protocol:hypertexttransferprotocol

"worldwideweb"

Domain:(owner)".gov" meansgovernment

Page you’re looking at(*.htm means a"hypertext markuplanguage" page)

Types of Internet Sites• Advocacy - An Advocacy Web Page is one sponsored by

an organization attempting to influence public opinion (that is, one trying to sell ideas).  The URL Address of the page frequently ends in .org (organization).  Examples: National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action league, The National Right to Life Committee, the Democratic Party, The Republican Party.*

• Marketing/business - A Business/Marketing Web Page is one sponsored by a commercial enterprise (usually it is a page trying to promote or sell products).  The URL address of the page frequently ends in .com (commercial).  Examples: Adobe Systems, Inc., the Coca-Cola Company, and numerous other large and small companies using the Web for business purposes.*

• Informational  - An Informational Web page is one whose purpose is to present factual information. Educational institutions or government agencies often sponsor these pages.  The URL address frequently ends in .edu or.gov.  Examples:  Dictionaries, thesauri, directories, transportation schedules, calendars of events, statistical data, and other factual information such as reports, presentations of research, or information about a topic.*

• News - A News Web page is one whose primary purpose is to provide extremely current information.  The URL address of the page usually ends in .com (Commercial).  Examples: USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, CNN.*

Types of Internet Sites • Personal  - A Personal Home Page is one published by an

individual who may or may not be affiliated with a larger institution.  Although the URL address of the page may have a variety of endings (e.g. .com, .edu., etc), a tilde (~)  is frequently embedded somewhere in the URL.* Examples: Irish History on the web, Harvard Department of the Classics, Children's literature Web guide

• Entertainment - An Entertainment Web page is one with the primary purpose of providing enjoyment to its users by means of humor, games, music, drama or other similar types of activities.  The URL address of the page may have a variety of endings depending on who is supplying the entertainment.  Examples: Genway, Smithsonian's "Revealing Things", Parody of the White House.*

• Advertisements/webfomercials  - This is a group of web sites that are supported by advertisements.  This frequently takes the form of a banner or a hyperlink.  A webfomercial is comparable to a television infomercial. Serious conflicts of interest can arise between the self-interests of advertisers and sponsors and the objectivity of the information provided on a Web page.  Examples: The Ad Council *

• Discussion groups - This group usually includes discussion groups, chat rooms and listservs.  The primary purpose is to provide conversations and individual opinions. Examples: Yahoo! Chat, Veteran Network Chat & ClubRooms, Google Discussion Forums, SerialST Listserv

Domain Names

.com (commercial)  commercial sites-usually promote or sell products

.edu (education) ranges from serious research to student pages

.gov (government) factual information-usually reliable

.int   (international organization)

not-for-profit international organizations

.k12 (schools) elementary, middle & high schools - teacher & students sites 

.mil (U.S. Military) military sites

.net (network) network providers- includes both commercial and individual sites

.org (organization) not-for-profit organizations-usually advocacy pages

Author

• Is the Author listed anywhere?

• When was the site created?

• When was the site last updated?

• What are the credentials of the Author? Can they be evaluated?

Purpose

• Is this site for informational purposes?

• Is this site meant to entertain?

• Is this site trying to sell me something?

• Martin Luther King, Jr.• The Onion• Alan November’s List

Tools of InvestigationThe Wayback Machine:www.archive.org allows you tobrowse through 30 billion webpages archived from 1996 to afew months ago. To use this sitetype in the URL of a site or pageof which you would like toresearch, and click the Take MeBack button. Once you haveconducted your search, selectfrom the archived datesavailable.

Tools of Investigation

To find the external links, conduct

this search in Alta Vista with thelink: command. Go to Alta Vistawww.altavista.com, type link:

inthe search box and then add theURL of the site you would likeresearch.  Be sure to leave nospace before or after thecolon.  Click the Find button.

Resources

• Internet Literacy• Alan November• Using and Searching the Web• Evaluating Web Pages:

Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask

• Kathy Schrock’s Critical Evaluation

• 5 Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages

Try Your Own Search

• Find a site and evaluate the purpose, content, and author. Is the site credible?

Free Resources

What is MeL?

“The Michigan eLibrary(MeL) is a service of theLibrary of Michigandesigned to offer everyresident of the stateequitable and easy-touse access to a core setof information

resources.”

Exploring MeL

• MeL EbooksMeL HomeLog on in your library or school

• Reference Desk– America’s Story

• MeL Internet• SIRS Discover (from

Academy start page)

Library of Congress - www.loc.gov • American Memory• America’s Story go to

America’s Library click Kids, Families