A Guide to Online Research
On this page, you will find:
Introduction
Begun in the 1970s, the Internet has grown into a vast source of information available to individuals, businesses and other organizations. Functioning as a remote access to other computers, medium for communication and transfer of files from one computer to another, the Internet offers almost unlimited possibilities for on-line research.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1) What is a URL?
- A URL, or Uniform Resource Locater, is a Web address used to locate a file in a specific place on the server.
- Example: http://www.odu.edu/~wts
2) What is "hot text?"
- "Hot text" is underlined or highlighted words and phrases that are links to other files on the Web.
- Example: If you need help in the writing process, send us your paper.
3) How do I return to sites that I found useful?
- It is always a good idea to bookmark sites you plan to return to. Simply click on Bookmarks on your menu bar at the top of your screen and add a bookmark.
4) How do I document sources from the Web?
- For MLA styles, include the author's name (if applicable), title of the document, title of the full work (if appplicable), date of publication or last revision and URL.
- Example: Mullins, Brighde. "Introduction to Robert Hass." Readings in Contemporary Poetry at Dia Center for the Arts. November10, 1995. (24 April 1997).
For linked documents, you must site both document and source. After the authors and titles of documents are given, use "LKd." to indicate a linked document followed by the source document underlined. If applicable, include other linkage information using "at" followed by document title and URL.
- Example: Williams, Terry Tempest. "The Politics of Place." Lkd. Insight and Outlook: A Program of Ideas, at "Transcripts." (1 May 1997).
For more information on citing Web documents, see our citation page.
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Steps for Getting Started
Once you gain access to a computer that is Internet capable, you are ready to begin conducting research!
1) Choose a search engine: (not all and/or others may be available to you).
- Yahoo
- Infoseek
- Netscape
- Lycos
- Excite
- Alta Vista
- LooksSmart
2) Type in your topic and narrow or tunnel it using key words.
Ex. For a search on fruit, try:
- fruit
- fruit salad
- gardening with fruit
- Cooking with fruit
- Decorating with fruit
3) Explore the cites provided on your topic, but do not be afraid to modify your topic and/or click on other links that look helpful.
Ex. For a search on a general topic such as fruit, you may be provided with over a thousand possible sources that contain this topic. If, perhaps, you know that you want to discover more about a specific topic like fuit salad recipes, then type in:
- fruit + salad or fruit + salad + recipe
4) Since all resources of value are NOT located in virtual libraries, it will be necessary for you to conduct searches on the Internet. Search engines, such as Excite or Alta Vista, contain links to millions of web pages. The most important thing to do before typing a search expression in a search form is to read the search engine's help pages for guidance on how to formulate the most precise request. Skillful searching affects the quality and relevancy of the information retrieved.
Once you have a search list, open the first few web pages and execute the Find command (click on Edit, then Find in Page or Find in Frame) in each to see how your search terms are being used. You'll be able to determine whether the search terms are used in a context that is relevant to your research needs.
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Evaluating Internet Sources
Once you've found a page that appears to be applicable to your topic, you can begin to use the the following evaluation guidelines:
Who is the author or institution?
- If an individual has written the resource, is there biographical information available?
- If an institution has produced the resource, does it give information about itself?
- Have you seen the author's or institution's name cited in other sources or bibliographies?
How current is the information?
- Is there a date on the web page that indicates when the page was placed on the web?
- Is it clear when the page was last updated?
- Is some of the information obviously out-of-date?
- Does the page creator mention how frequently the material is updated?
Who is the audience?
- Is the web page intended for the general public, or is it meant for scholars, practitioners, children, and so forth?
- Is the audience clearly stated?
- Does the web page meet the needs of its stated audience?
Is the content accurate, objective, and supported by other sources?
- Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, or institutional biases?
- Is the content intended to be a brief overview of the topic or an in-depth analysis?
- If the information is opinion, is this clearly stated?
- What is the purpose of the information?
- If there are facts and statistics included, are they properly cited?
Is the purpose of the information to inform, explain, persuade, market a product, or advocate a cause?
- Is the purpose clearly stated?
- Does the resource fulfill the stated purpose?
Helpful Tips
1) Develop critical reading skills. Many sites may or may not have the information you are looking for. If they don't, you will want to save time by being able to scan and determine this early on. If they do, then you could save time and energy by being able to skim for information you need. This is because many documents are several pages long
2) Become familiar with electronic vocabulary. A lingo has developed that will allow you to easily converse with and/or understand servers.
- Ex. A discussion with authors or researchers over the net is called a chat.
3) Obtain easy access to the Internet, World Wide Web, and/or an e-mail account. The capabilities, speed, and accessibility of computers vary, so finding a fast and easily accessible computer is key.
4) If a web page doesn't contain the name of the author or institution, and there are no links to web pages that give that information, you can manipulate the URL to try to find it. For example, if you found material at the following URL, http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/ma0bibp.htm, and you wanted to quickly find out the name of the publishing body, you could delete the parts of the URL back to the domain section (everything after org/) and press enter. This would give you http://www.ncrel.org, which is the home page for this institution, the North Central Regional Educational Library.
5) Use WHOIS Service to determine the registrant of the web site. Use the domain name, not the URL. For example, to check the page discussed above, use ncrel.org for the WHOIS search.
6) Use search engines and Usenet postings (deja.com, http://www.deja.com) to learn more about the author or institution.
7) Check the top and bottom of a web page for the date the information was last modified or updated. If no date is present, click on View in the menu bar in Netscape and select Page Info. If you're using Microsoft Internet Explorer, put the cursor on the web page in the browser window, click the right mouse button, and select Properties to obtain the date.
8) Spelling and grammar are important. Errors not only indicate a lack of editorial control, but also suggest inaccurate information as well. Statistics and research findings should be documented nd cited carefully. Look for links to the primary sources of the information.
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Major Research Libraries On-Line
Web Interfaces to Libraries
University of California at San Diego, Web interface (with hypertext links to Encyclopedia Britannica entries)
Case Western Reserve Library
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