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Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Module 6 Module 7

Application 1 Application 2 Application 3 Application 4 Application 5 Application 6 Application 7

Introduction | Critical Questions | Conducting Research | Places to Start

Introduction

Online resources can provide fast and useful access to information on a topic or problem. However, unlike traditional paper publications, anyone with the necessary technology and know-how can put up a page on the web. Like other parts of the Internet such as email, chat rooms and discussion groups, the web is not regulated by any oversight agency. This means that you have to be particularly critical when examining information posted on a website.

Critical Questions

In determining the usefulness of information on a website, ask these questions:

• Who is the author?

• What is the source? (Who sponsors the page?)

• What is the author trying to communicate?

• What are the author's purposes?

• What are the author's conclusions?

• What evidence has the author provided to support these conclusions?

• Is this evidence of sufficient quality and quantity?

• Is there any information the author seems to have omitted?

• What questions is the author trying to answer?

• What problems is the author trying to solve?

• What are the author's underlying assumptions?

• Are those assumptions sound?

• What inferences has the author drawn?

• Are those inferences valid?

Conducting Research

When searching for relevant information, you must examine multiple perspectives on a topic or problem. These questions will help you consider those perspectives.

• Who else might be knowledgeable on this issue? Individuals often have their own webpages on which they post their work. Also, others may post an individual's work on a website. Using a search engine to locate information on a topic may be as easy as typing in a person's name.

• What organizations address the problem you are investigating? For example, a professional organization's conference or meeting website may have information about the topic you are researching.

• What events are happening? The answer to this question may lead you to information posted on a webpage or in a newsgroup or to an event you may want to attend.

• Where is this information located? There are multiple ways to get to the same website. Also, different search engines and strategies will produce different websites on the same topic. Thus, you want to use a variety of approaches to searching the WWW.

• Why is this information important? Considering this question may lead you to other important areas of the problem. For example, telecommuting impacts workplace communication as well as gasoline consumption and highway congestion.

Places to Start

Module 2 in this tutorial presents a list of metasearch engines, search engines, and web directories to get you started in your search. Below I've listed some additional tools to help you find information.

BlogStreet. Search the blogosphere.

BrightPlanet Guide to Effective Searching of the Internet. Detailed tutorial on searching the internet. Also available in PDF for easy printing and reference.

CompletePlanet. Access the deep or invisible web by searching or browsing for thousands of relevant databases.

Firstgov.gov. Webportal for all U.S. government websites, including the Health and Human Services, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Library of Congress.

Internet Sleuth. iSleuth directories include Colleges, Community Colleges, Colleges Online, Yellow Pages, and Search Engines.

Search Engine Colossus. An international directory of search engines.

Search Engine Showdown. Reviews, analyzes and reports on search engines. Includes strategies for online search.

Search Engine Watch. A site about search engines. Includes search engine reports, facts about search engines, and search engine resources.

Webcrawler. One of the oldest search tools, this metasearch engine allows you to set your search preferences.