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 Locating
and Evaluating Web Sites
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Efficient
Location
A) Be selective
- Search features
and methods vary, as do scope,size and accuracy of databases.
Some search engines are topic specific. Be sure to
choose an appropriate search engine.
B) Be
specific
C) Keep time
on your side
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Breaking events
and ongoing topics take time to be indexed. Try newsgroups,
all-news sites and mailing lists (for public opinion) first.
News Sites:
List-Serv/Newsgroup archives:
D) Be flexible
E) Don’t
get sucked in
F) Mark your
trail
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Email successful
search strategies to yourself and print them out, or keep a journal
of what you searched and where.
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Refrain from
bookmarking everything. Bookmark only when you find yourself
using a site repeatedly.
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Customize
your bookmarks. Designate bookmark folders for specific
topics. This organizes results so that you can return and focus
on selected sites at your leisure.
G) Don't
be afraid to guess
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Try different
spellings of names, and using wildcards (*) to truncate where
possible.
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Experiment
with URLS — type in the name of the business/organization
in the location text box and let the system work for you.
Evaluation
(Can you trust it?)
All sites
on the Web were not created equal. The following criteria can
be used to differentiate between the good, the bad, and the truly
ugly:
Remember
that the Web is not stable. Web sites are constantly being updated,
altered and deleted. When using Web sites as source information
for papers, etc. it is a good idea to print or email a copy of sites
to yourself . Always note the date you used the site on the
copy and when citing the source. To find out more about
proper citation methods visit the Citing Electronic Sources page [MLA
].
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- Appearance:
What is the overall impression of the site? Is it the layout
well designed and professional looking? Is there a news, journal,
or company banner, or other form of advertising present?
- Authority:
Who wrote the page? Is the author's name listed — what
is the source of the information? Do you recognize the name/source?
- Ownership:
Is the site copyrighted? Are there instructions as to how the
content may be used?
- Location:
Check the URL (site address). Is this someone's home page?
What type of domain name does it have (.edu, .org, .gov, .com, etc.)?
- Purpose/Audience:
Who is the site aimed at? Is it meant to inform, or to sell
something?
- Content:
What is the quality of the writing? Are there obvious typos
or information that is blatantly false? How does the data compare
with what you have found elsewhere?
- Uniqueness:
Is the information valuable, or does it duplicate what you already
know? Is it worth using or re-checking at a later date?
- Currency:
Is the information dated? Check for the date the page was last
up-dated. If there is no date listed on the page itself,
click on Page Info (under View or Communicator on your menu bar) and
check the last modified date.
- Connectivity:
Did you find the site through a link from another reputable source?
Does the site contain links to other reputable sources?
- Reviews/Awards:
Awards and positive reviews show that the page has been recognized
by peer groups or information professionals.
- Stability
of Content: How often is the site updated, and is the quality
consistent? Will you use the site again? Good sites are
candidates for bookmarking.
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Examples:
The following
sites all provide information on frogs, but from a variety of different
perspectives. Visit, and judge for yourself:
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An Introduction to the Natural History of the Frogs and Toads of
Ohio
Authority:
This site was created by a Ph. D. Location: Hosted
by a non-profit organization (.org), and not a commercial (.com)
or personal (.net) site. Purpose/Audience: To inform
and educate.
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Frogweb
Ownership:
This site is maintained by the National Biological Information Infrastructure.
Location: It is hosted on a government server (.gov).
Currency: It is updated regularly.
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"Jurassic Frogs"
Authority:
This is an online article. The author is immediately apparent,
and there is a link to the newspaper in which the article appeared.
Location: The site is hosted on an educational institution's
server (.edu). Ownership: Copyright information appears
at the bottom of the site. Currency: The article
is dated 1995.
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Frogs Around Us
Authority
: This is a personal page. Location: Hosted by
an educational institution (.edu). Content: The style of
writing is not scientific, nor is the subject matter. Purpose/Audience:
Entertainment.
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Frogland
Content:
Care of frogs. There are a couple of typos. Purpose/Audience:
Education/Entertainment of frog owners. Authority:
Site owner's name is given, but no qualifications are listed.
Location: Hosted on a non-profit (.org) server.
Currency: Last modified May 2002.
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A Thousand Friends of Frogs
Authority
: Maintained by Center for Global Environmental Education
at Hamline University. Currency: Last updated
5/4/01. Purpose/Audience: Education -- k-12 educators,
children and families. Reviews/Awards: Received Nearctica's
"Editor's Choice Award" and is an Internet Scout Project Kids
selection.
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