Using the Internet

The two most commonly used aspects of the Internet are email and the World Wide Web. If you use an Internet service provider (AOL, ATT WorldNet, etc.) on your home computer, a free email account is included as part of the service. If you do not have an email account (or a home computer), find out if your school offers free accounts to students. If not, consider opening a free account on one of the web-based email services such as Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail.com. There are a few disadvantages to these services (such as relatively small storage limits), so read the fine print. Email enables you to contact anyone and everyone, so long as they have an email address of their own–friends, family members, and even your instructors.

The World Wide Web is an expansive collection of information. You can use the Web to visit libraries and museums, search for a job, network with people who share your interests, consult with a doctor, read the news, find the address of a long lost friend, buy books and CDs, or book an exotic vacation. And that’s just the beginning. The Web is also a tremendous tool for researchers, but the sheer wealth of available information can be intimidating to a beginner. No one can truly "master" the vast quantities of information Web, but there are several tools that will help you to navigate it.

 

Searching the Web

Search Engines

Search engines allow you to search the web by entering keywords. There are a variety of search engines available; the table below lists some of the most popular:

Search Tool

Description

AltaVista http://www.altavista.com	Comprehensive full-text search engine. Searches Web and Usenet. Can limit returns by date, location(s), language; retrieves large number of results (not always relevant). Use when doing a specific search for obscure information.
Excite http://www.excite.com	Search engine. Offers in-depth subject arrangement and concept searching (automatically searches related terms) and indexes Internet sites and Usenet;.

Lycos http://www.lycos.com	Search engine. Can limit returns by title, pictures, sounds, URL, language. Results returned with good organization by relevance.
Dogpile http://www.dogpile.com	Metasearch engine. Searches multiple engines at one time (currently, AltaVista, Excite, Infoseek, LookSmart, Lycos, The Mining Co., WebCrawler, and Yahoo!). Consolidates results, ranked by a score derived from the rankings of each of the search engines listing each site.

Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com

Subject directory to selected resources, rather than a full-text search engine. Searches for Web, Usenet sites. Searches keywords only. Numerous directories available; passes on searches to full-text search engine. Use when browsing, for subject categories, overviews of topic. Returns not organized by relevance.

 

 

Searching Tips

To perform a key word search, enter the word or words that describe your subject. For example, if you are searching for information about Internet censorship and you enter those two words, AltaVista will find web pages that contain either of the words anywhere — together or separately.

If you add plus signs before each word -- +Internet +censorship — you will ensure that AltaVista will return only sites that contain both words. If you wish to exclude certain concepts — say, you are interested in the Internet and censorship but not in pornography — you could search as follows: +Internet +censorship —pornography.

To narrow the search further, search for a phrase rather than words by placing the words in double quotes: "Internet censorship." Then AltaVista will find only those pages containing both words in a single phrase.

You may also narrow your findings by conducting an "advanced search." This allows you to perform a "Boolean" search, using the terms AND, OR, NOT, and NEAR. For example you might search for "women writers" AND paris AND NOT poets. Details on conducting advanced searches are provided on the search engine’s home page.

Use an asterisk (*) when you want your search to include different possible endings for your keyword. For example you might search intern* to locate information on interns, internships, and interning.

Most search engines function by similar rules. For specifics, check out the instructions on the engine’s home page.

Evaluating Web sources

All websites are not created equal. While you should examine all potential resources, print and nonprint, for relevance, accuracy, bias, and so forth, you must scrutinize sources you find via the Internet more carefully than those you find in print, for the simple reason that virtually anyone who has a computer and an Internet access provider can post his or her own web page with no editing, no fact-checking, no reviews — no oversight of any kind, in fact.

When your search yields a long list of sites to visit, as is most often the case, the first thing to do is scan the sites for their institutional affiliations (or lack thereof). These can be determined in many cases by a look at the URL–"Uniform Resource Locator," also referred to as the "web address." The first term in the URL will indicate what server hosts the material; the extension (the three letters that follow the "dot") can give you some idea what to expect from the site:

Extension	type of site
.edu	Educational institution. For research purposes, these sites are often the most reliable. Remember, though, that students are often given space on their schools’ servers for their own webpages, and these are not necessarily reliable for research, depending on their function. Exercise caution.
.org	Non-profit organization. These often provide useful information for the researcher. Beware, though, of the potential for institutional bias.
.com	Commercial site. You will encounter these frequently. As far as research goes, they range from the legitimate (well-researched sites paid for by scholars not affiliated with an institution, or by those at institutions with unreliable servers) to the questionable (ads, rants, scams, etc.). These must be evaluated carefully.
.gov	Government site. Various branches of the government provide much solid information. Though it tends to be factual/objective, beware here (as in the case of .org sites) of institutional bias.
.mil	Military site. Publicly accessible sites contain information about military institutions. See .gov and .org entries.
.net	Large computer networks. The distinction between .net and .com sites is rapidly disappearing, as competition for desirable URLs has increased. Same rules as .com apply; sites should be evaluated with care.

The brief descriptions of the site provided by your search engine should contribute to your decision about whether the site deserves a closer look. Once you decide to visit the site, of course, the same rules you apply to print sources apply: consider authorship, the sponsoring institution, date, presumed audience/purpose, etc., and cross-check facts if possible from reliable information you already have available to you.

When you’re sure a site is worth using for your research, be sure you document it properly. For an discussion of improper borrowing and tips on documentation, see our brief guide to Plagiarism and the Internet.

General reference materials online

For encyclopedias, almanacs, reference guides and useful links, try visiting:

Refdesk.com: Very thorough and well-organized site of research and reference links. Includes Facts Search Desk, Current News and Features, links to a host of online information databases, and much more.

Virtual Reference Desk (Purdue University)

The WWW Virtual Library: The oldest online catalog of the web, compiled wholly by volunteers. Consists of pages of carefully selected and maintained key links for particular areas of the web (Agriculture, Education, Science, Society, etc.).

Brittanica Online

FedWorld Information Network Home Page: links to U.S. government reports and web sites

Library of Congress Home Page

Los Angeles Times

New York Times

Project Gutenberg: online versions of classic and public-domain books

U.S. Census Bureau Home Page

Internet Movie Database

Dictionaries, Thesauri, and Grammar Guides

Online Writing Labs (OWLs)

Many OWLs include online handouts, access to tutoring services, links to other writing resources such as dictionaries and a thesaurus, resources for Internet research, electronic discussion areas, and links to other OWLs and Writing Centers. If online tutoring is offered, remember that the priority for these services -- online as well as offline -- will be for registered students at that college or university. The link above offers a selected list with brief descriptions emphasizing these OWLs' main features.

Other online writing resources: Links to writers’ organizations, composition sites, English as a Second Language resources, etc.

Specialized Directories to Internet discussion groups, Internet addresses, Internet white pages, etc.

 

Internet Guides

There are numerous books and electronic resources available to help you develop your Internet research skills. The following sites will get you off to a good start:

Direct Links to Internet Research Resources: part of M.O.R.E. (McGraw-Hill Online Resources for English). Includes links to resources covering Internet reference, netiquette, research across the curriculum, evaluating Internet sources, copyright issues, and documentation conventions.

The McGraw-Hill Guide to Electronic Research and Documentation by Diana Roberts Wienbroer: a detailed, step-by-step guide to online research and correct citation.