Searching the Web

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Searching the Web

• VCCS
• Commonwealth
• Course

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Two types of Questions on a Search Engine

• Specific Question easily phrased question with
  an answer that is quickly recognized. Example
• What is the population of VA?
• Exploratory Question an open ended question that
  is hard to determine the answer. Example
• What started the Gulf War?

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Search Engine

• A special that kind of web page that finds other
  web pages that match a word or phrase that you
  have entered.

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Search Expression

• The word or phrase that you type in.
• Also called a query

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Other Terms in Search Engines

• Hit a web site that was found in the search
  engines database.
• Results Page
• Hyperlinks page to the web pages that match.

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Web Robot

• Called a bot or spider
• A program that automatically searches the web to
  find new web sites and to update old ones.

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Meta Tags
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Meta Search Engine

• A search engine that combines the power of
  multiple search engines.

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Search Engine
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Boolean Operators

• AND all must be true
• OR at least one must be true
• NOT excludes that word

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Wildcard Operator

• is the wildcard operator.
• If you typed treat, the search engine would find
  treaty, treatment, treats, treaties

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Five Traditional Evaluation Criteria

• Accuracy
• Authority
• Objectivity
• Currency
• Coverage

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Criterion 1 Accuracy

• How reliable and free from error is the
  information?
• Are there editors and fact checkers?
• OncoLink (http//oncolink.upenn.edu)
• Tobacco Control Archives (http//www.library.ucsf.
  edu/tobacco/index.html)
• The Onion (http//www.theonion.com)

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Accuracy of Web Resources

• Almost anyone can publish on the Web
• Many Web resources not verified by editors and/or
  fact checkers
• Web standards to ensure accuracy not fully
  developed

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Criterion 2 Authority

• What are the authors qualifications for writing
  on the subject?
• How reputable is the publisher?

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Authority of Web Resources

• Often difficult to determine authorship of Web
  resources
• If authors name listed, his/her qualifications
  frequently absent
• Publisher responsibility often not indicated

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Criterion 3 Objectivity

• Is the information presented with a minimum of
  bias?
• To what extent is the information trying to sway
  the opinion of the audience?
• The National Right to Life Committee
  (http//www.nrlc.org)
• NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights
  Action League) (http//www.naral.org)
• Consumer Reports Online (http//www.consumerreport
  s.org)

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Criterion 4 Currency

• Is the content of the work up-to-date?
• Is the publication date clearly indicated?
• USA Today (http//www.usatoday.com)
• Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
  Edition (http//humanities.uchicago.edu/forms_unre
  st/webster.form.html

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Currency of Web Resources

• Dates not always included on Web pages
• If included, a date may have various meanings
• Date first created
• Date placed on Web
• Date last revised

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Criterion 5 Coverage

• What topics are included in the work?
• To what depth are topics explored?
• The "Alternative" White House (http//www.whitehou
  se.net)
• The Official White House
• (http//www.whitehouse.gov)