Workshop on Web Research

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Workshop on Web Research

• Louise L. Soe, Ph.D.

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Issues

• The importance of research in problem resolution
• Finding information on the Internet
• Evaluating information from the Internet
• Using information from the Internet

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Why Do Research?

• You dont understand the problem.
• You understand the problem, but you dont know
  how to solve it.
• You need more information
• Someone else may have solved your problem, a part
  of it, or a similar problem
• You want to put your work in context

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Research on the Internet

• Problems
• Too much information
• Difficult to locate information you want
• Information is too general
• Inappropriate search results
• Results
• Frustration!
• Information Overload!

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Search Tools on the Internet

• Search Engines
• Meta Search Engines
• On-Line Indexes
• Catalogs of information
• White Yellow pages

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Types of Search Engines

• Spiders, webcrawlers, robots
• automatic indexing
• Alta Vista, HotBot, OpenText, WWW Worm
• Web Directories
• built by humans who review web pages
• Yahoo!, Magellan
• Hybrids spiders humans
• Excite, InfoSeek, Lycos, Web Crawler

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Comparisons of Web Engines (search.htm)

• Netsearchers Ultimate Cheat Sheet
• from PC Magazine Dec 3, 1996 (link)
• Comparisons of Web Engines (based on review in PC
  Magazine)
• Characteristics (link)- Which is biggest?
• Usability ratings (link) - Relevant hits?
• Top Choices Excite, HotBot, Yahoo!

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Web Crawlers Try HotBot

• Robots build the Search Engine database
• Much larger databases (54 M URLs)
• Problems Try dog door on HotBot
• Larger number, less focused results
• No standards - documents not structured
• Dont include multimedia objects
• Turn up inappropriate documents

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Web Directory Try Yahoo! (Advanced Search,
Intelligent default, categories)

• Developers submit web site - keywords
• Human analyzes sites purpose
• Uses hierarchical classification scheme
• Business and Economy Companies Animals Dogs
  Directories
• Results
• Fewer URLs included in database (0.37 M)
• More focused results
• related information available

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Other Sources Hands-On

• Meta Search Engines - offer results from a
  combination of search engines
• Indexes
• Catalogs
• White Yellow Pages
• Visit search.htm (link)

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Evaluating Information Quality

• Source of site
• Educational institution (e.g., MIT)
• Professional organization (e.g., IEEE)
• Government Institution (e.g., NASA)
• Ratings
• provided by some Search Engines (Magellan)
• Index Lists, Catalogs may evaluate them
• Corroborating evidence multiple, reliable sources

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What if 2 Sources Disagree?

• Researchers often describe conflicts
• Tell each side
• Cite sources of information for each side
• Based on the evidence
• Prepare your analysis, results, conclusions
• Your work may extend research in a particular
  discipline

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Place Your Work in Context

• Cite your sources!
• Give credit to others for their ideas and
  information
• Indicates source of your terminology
• Shows where your work belongs in a larger body of
  work
• Knowing where your work belongs is part of your
  professional toolkit

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Citing Web Information

• Whenever you use someone elses ideas, you have
  to cite them
• Otherwise you are committing plagiarism
• When you quote information, cite source
• Not OK to just cut and paste, and not quote and
  cite
• Graphics If owner gives permission, follow
  their directions for crediting them

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Citation Formats for WWW

• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Beckleheimer, J. (1994). How do you cite URL's in
  a bibliography? WWW document. URL
  http//www.nrlssc.navy.mil/meta/bibliography.html
  
• Other sources on citation formatting found in
  http//www.csupomona.edu/cis/soe/search.htm

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Hands-On Workshop

• Pick a topic of information
• Search with
• One robot search engine
• One catalog search engine
• A meta search engines
• Then try an appropriate index (see following
  slides)

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