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Owl presentation
This document provides guidance on effective online research strategies. It outlines characteristics of online research such as large volumes of information but not containing all information. It distinguishes between visible and invisible web content and recommends using both general and specialized search tools. The document also provides tips for defining effective search terms and keywords, evaluating search results, and determining the credibility of websites and sources found in online research.
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Owl presentation
- 1. Conducting Online Research Effective Online Research Strategies
- 2. Overview • Foreffective online research: – know available search tools – understand how tools work – know how to use tools – evaluate results found with tools
- 3. Online Research •Characteristics of the Internet: – large volumes of information – convenient – doesn’t contain all information – potentially frustrating
- 4. 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
- 5. 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
- 6. Visible Web versusInvisible Web • Visible Web: content can be found using freely accessible search engines such as Google • Invisible Web: content not found by general search engines
- 7. Invisible Web vs.Visible Web: Practice 1. Write a topic on a piece of paper 2. Exchange it with a partner 3. Run one search in a general search engine such as Google 4. Run another search using a library research tool, such as JSTOR, EBSCOHOST, or Megasearch 5. Discuss the kinds of results each search turned up
- 8. 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
- 9. 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
- 10. Search Engine Results • Different search engines might return different results in a different order • Can include results from paying advertisers:
- 11. Search Engine Results:Practice 1. Write a search topic on a piece of paper 2. Exchange the piece of paper with a partner 3. Enter the search term into three different search engines. 4. Discuss the difference in results with your partner
- 12. Conducting a Search • Consider: – keywords that apply – what kinds of information you need – multiple angles – keep notes
- 13. 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
- 14. 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
- 15. 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.”
- 16. Search Terms: Practice 1. Write a general search term on a piece of paper 2. Exchange it with a partner 3. Using the same search engine for the whole activity, run searches using: 1. the original term 2. synonyms of the term 3. Boolean operators 4. Discuss with your partner how the results of each search were different
- 17. 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)
- 18. 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
- 19. Evaluating Search Results • No precise formula • Find out: – purpose – who is responsible – when last updated – whether information is corroborated in other places
- 20. Some Clues toDetermine a Site’s Purpose • Tone and language used • Assumptions/Generalizations • Commercial/Non-commercial • Advocating a particular opinion • Copyright notice • Links/Sources cited
- 21. 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
- 22. 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
- 23. 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
- 24. Evaluating Sources: Using Wikipedia • Example of sources and further reading in the Wikipedia Henry VIII article:
- 25. Resources for OnlineResearch • 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)
- 26. For More Information • Contact the Purdue Writing Lab: – Drop In: Heavilon 226 – Call: 765-494-3723 – Email: [email protected] – On the web: http://owl.english.purdue.edu
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