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Conducting Online Research

Effective Online Research Strategies

Rationale: Welcome to “ Conducting Online Research.” This presentation is designed to introduce strategies for conducting research online using search engines and evaluating results. The 25 slide presented here are designed to aid the facilitator in an interactive presentation of the elements of online research.

This presentation may be supplemented with the following OWL resources:

- Searching the World Wide Web

- Evaluating Sources of Information

Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click, unless otherwise noted in bold at the bottom of each notes page

Writer and Designer: Caitlan Spronk

With thanks to Dana, from whom I got the ideas for the activities.

Revising Author: Name, date

Developed with resources courtesy of the Purdue University Writing Lab

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Overview

For effective online research:

- know available search tools
- understand how tools work
- know how to use tools
- evaluate results found with tools

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Online Research

Characteristics of the Internet:

large volumes of information
convenient
doesn’t contain all information
potentially frustrating

Online research can be incredibly helpful and convenient. It can bring you large amounts of information in a very short amount of time, and can often be done from the comfort of a personal computer. However, large amounts of information can be frustrating to sift through. Additionally, though doing online research online can result in finding large amounts of content, it is important to recognize that the Internet does not contain all of the information in the world, and online search tools, like search engines, do not search even all of the content on the internet. A wise online researcher realizes that there is potentially helpful information that is not available through search engines. Knowing the potential pitfalls of online research will also help online researchers to develop strategies to avoid these pitfalls and work with the limitations of online research.

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Web versus Print: Web

Web

anyone with web access can publish
author/affiliations and qualifications may be unclear
may not clearly identify external information
may be biased/misleading
publication info may not be listed

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Web versus Print: Print

Print

extensive publication process
clearly indicates author/affiliations
clearly marks outside sources/quotations
bias exists, but is reviewed
only qualified manuscripts accepted for publication
publication info clearly listed

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Visible Web versus Invisible Web

Visible Web:�content can be found using freely accessible search engines such as Google��
Invisible Web:�content not found by general search engines

The visible web and the invisible web are two concepts that explain why search engines can’t find all potentially useful information online.

The visible web is the web that is freely and often conveniently accessible. Anyone with access to a web browser and a search engine can find the content that is a part of the free web because there are no barriers to access. It is the part of the web that you can “see.”

The invisible web is the part of the Internet that is less readily available, for a number of reasons. There are many sites that search engines do not retrieve results from. Many academic journals and databases are available online, but their content is not listed in search engine results because these resources require paid access. Another reason might be that a site’s owner has included code that tells search engine software not to list the site in search engine results. Or content on a given site might simply not be easy for a search engine to find because of bad or unusual coding.

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Invisible Web vs. Visible Web: Practice

Write a topic on a piece of paper
Exchange it with a partner
Run one search in a general search engine such as Google
Run another search using a library research tool, such as JSTOR, EBSCOHOST, or Megasearch
Discuss the kinds of results each search turned up

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Web Search Tools

Search Engines

- list results based on entered keywords

Web Directories

- offer categories for users to choose from

Metasearch Engines

- combine results from multiple search engines

Three of the most common online search tools are search engines, web directories, and metasearch engines. Of these, search engines are the most well-known.

A search engine, such as Google, consists of software that crawls the Internet, storing information about websites based on keywords and other information. A user enters a keyword or search phrase into the search engine interface, and the search engine retrieves relevant results based on the entered keywords.

Web directories are compilations of sites listed by topical categories. They can help a user move from a general area of interest to a more specific topic, and, eventually, website. For example, a user of the Open Directory Project at dmoz.org could click on “Recreation,” then “food,” and then “cheese,” which would lead the user to a page that listed websites about cheese.

A metasearch engine is a search engine that searches multiple other search engines. When a user types a keyword into a metasearch engine, the engine lists results from many different search engines.

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Search Engine Results

Based on:

- site’s amount of information
- number of linking sites
- number of people who choose a link
- length of time in search engine database
- code of the site

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Search Engine Results

Different search engines might return different results in a different order
Can include results from paying advertisers:

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Search Engine Results: Practice

Write a search topic on a piece of paper
Exchange the piece of paper with a partner
Enter the search term into three different search engines.
Discuss the difference in results with your partner

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Conducting a Search

Consider:

- keywords that apply
- what kinds of information you need
- multiple angles
- keep notes

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Using Search Terms

Do multiple searches
Try keyword variations

- e.g. try “dining hall,” “cafeteria,” and “campus food service”

Be specific as you learn more

- e.g. change “dining hall” to “Midwest university dining hall”

Boolean Operators: words added to a search to make it more specific

There are several strategies for using search terms that will help you find the most useful sources for a project.

One highly helpful strategy is to do multiple searches using different terms, and different combinations of terms. Think about it this way: some writers might use the term “dining hall” when writing about the quality of on-campus food, while other writers might have used the term “campus food service.” If you only did a search using the term “dining hall,” you’d miss all the content that only used the term “campus food service.” As you look through your results, you might come across terms used by writers that would help you in your search. Be alert for terms that might help you find new results.

If you get too many results in a search, it might be helpful to make your search terms more specific. For example, if you’re writing about the quality of dining halls in Indiana, you might want to use “Midwest university dining hall” instead of just “dining hall.” “Midwest university dining hall” is more likely to return content about university dining halls, while just “dining hall” is more likely to include results about elementary dining halls all over the world, which are irrelevant to your project.

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Defining a Search: Boolean Operators

AND finds pages with all of the search terms used

- e.g. “dining hall” AND “student workers”

OR- finds pages with at least one of the search terms

- e.g. “dining hall” OR “cafeteria” OR “campus food service”

NOT - excludes pages that include the second term

- e.g. Henry VII NOT Shakespeare

Boolean operators are useful for tailoring search terms to get the type of results you want. Boolean operators are one-word connectors that are placed between keywords or keyphrases in a search.

Using AND will find pages that include all of the search terms used. For example, “dining hall” AND “student workers” will return pages that include the phrases “dining hall” and “student workers”

OR will find pages that include pages that include at least one of the search terms. For example, “dining hall” OR “cafeteria” OR “campus food service.” OR is useful for expanding search results if there aren’t enough using just one term, and for when there are multiple terms that might be used to describe a subject.

NOT excludes pages that include the second phrase listed. For example, Henry VII NOT Shakespeare would be useful if you wanted to find content about Henry VIII the historical king, but not the Shakespeare play by the same name. NOT is useful for limiting results when there are too many.

Most search engines have more advanced search options in addition to Boolean operators, so keep your eyes option for “advanced” search options in the search engines you use.

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Defining a Search: Quotation Marks

Return pages with exact matches

enter dining hall

Get: “As I was dining, I heard a noise coming from the hall”

enter “dining hall”

Get: “Dining hall food quality is assessed in this paper.”

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Search Terms: Practice

Write a general search term on a piece of paper
Exchange it with a partner
Using the same search engine for the whole activity, run searches using:

the original term
synonyms of the term
Boolean operators

Discuss with your partner how the results of each search were different

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Evaluating Search Results

Some results won’t be helpful

wrong topic
not enough information
incorrect or outdated information
shallow or untrustworthy source
wrong tone for your project (e.g. an opinionated article when you need a basic overview)

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Evaluating Search Results

Have a clear idea of type of content needed

general overview
different viewpoints in a debate
in-depth explorations of a topic with numbers and statistics

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Evaluating Search Results

No precise formula
Find out:

purpose
who is responsible
when last updated
whether information is corroborated in other places

There is no formula for deciding whether a site is “credible” or not, although answering a set of questions may help you to better understand whether a given site is what you’re looking for. But be wary: a site that has an author, is updated often, that looks professional, and is sponsored by an organization could still be full of information that’s not helpful for your project. Use common sense and don’t rely on static credibility measures.

Some questions you should consider when evaluating the usefulness of a site:

-What is the purpose of the site? (Is it a blog? A product site? The web-page of a non-profit organization?)

-Who is responsible for the site? (Who wrote it? What is the sponsoring organization? Is it the work of an individual, a corporation, or an organization, etc.?)

-When was it last updated?

-Do other sources corroborate the information on the site? Do the other sources you’ve found seem to agree with the site in question?

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Some Clues to Determine a Site’s Purpose

Tone and language used
Assumptions/Generalizations
Commercial/Non-commercial
Advocating a particular opinion
Copyright notice
Links/Sources cited

But how do you figure out who is responsible for a web site, or what its purpose is? Sometimes figuring these things out can be tricky, because websites can be misleading about their purpose. Take several moments to carefully look over a site. Don’t take what any site says at face value.

Some strategies:

-Pay attention to the tone and the kind of language used. Is it informal? Is it exaggerated or sensational? (Is it written like a tabloid cover?) Does the language appeal to the emotions?

-What kind of assumptions does the page make? Does the page make generalizations that oversimplify the matter? Does the page clearly explain where its information came from?

-Does the site seem to be selling something? (Note that there is a difference between sites that have outside advertising on them, and sites whose purpose is to promote a product.)

-Is the site trying to convince users to adopt a certain opinion? (Does the site seem one-sided? Does it acknowledge other perspectives?)

-Look for a copyright notice (usually found at the bottom of the page), note who the copyright belongs to, and do a quick search about that individual/organization. This can help you determine who is responsible for the page.

-What other sites does the site in question link to? Which, if any, other sources does the site reference? Do these links and sources seem to be trustworthy?

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Evaluating Search Results

Domain name extensions

anyone can register .com, .net, .org domain names
not a great way to tell whether a source is “credible”
.edu and .gov can only be used by educational institutions and governmental institutions

still not necessarily reliable

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Evaluating Search Results: Visuals

Good design NOT an indicator of reliable information
Bad design not an indicator of unreliable information

might be more likely to indicate an outdated website or one run by an individual

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Wikipedia Articles

Often one of the first results listed
“Web versus Print” slides apply
Check for instructors’ policies
Can be useful for:

getting an overview
generating new ideas
pointing to other sources

Wikipedia articles often come up as one of the first results in a search engine for many topics. Instructors differ about whether Wikipedia is a valid source that can be cited, so make sure you know your instructors’ policies.

Although Wikipedia may not be fully accepted as a citable source in academic projects, it can still be a useful online research tool. It can be helpful for getting a general overview of a topic that can then guide later research. It can also be help generate ideas and angles on a topic that you might not have been aware of. Many Wikipedia articles also contain extensive sources and external links at the end of the article. Even if you cannot cite a Wikipedia article, the bibliography and external links at the end of an article might lead you to a source that might be helpful to your project and considered acceptable for academic projects.

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Evaluating Sources: Using Wikipedia

Example of sources and further reading in the Wikipedia Henry VIII article:

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Resources for Online Research

OWL Resource: Searching the World Wide Web
OWL Resource: Evaluating Sources of Information
OWL Resource: Copyright determine which content you are allowed to use
http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/ (The Internet Detective—site with activities for developing critical online research and evaluation skills)

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For More Information

Contact the Purdue Writing Lab:

Drop In: Heavilon 226
Call: 765-494-3723
Email: owl@owl.english.purdue.edu
On the web: http://owl.english.purdue.edu

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The End