Guides to Search Engines - Search Engines
and Features -
Evaluating Information on the Web
- Citing Web Sources -
Web Strengths - Web
Weaknesses - Questions?
Guides to Search Engines - search tips, news, statistics, reviews and features of the major search engines
Search
Engine Watch
www.searchenginewatch.com
Search Engine Showdown
www.searchengineshowdown.com
How
to Choose a Search Engine or Directory
http://www.internettutorials.net/choose.html
|
Search Engine |
Phrase Searching |
Keyword |
Include Term |
Exclude Term |
Directory |
|
Google |
yes, " " |
implies AND: matches ALL words in search |
+ |
- |
yes, see directory tab |
|
AllTheWeb |
yes, " " |
implies AND: matches ALL words in search |
+ |
- |
no |
|
Yahoo!Search |
yes, " " |
implies OR: matches ANY words in search |
+ |
- |
yes, directory on main page |
|
AltaVista
(basic) |
yes, " " |
implies OR: matches ANY words in search |
AND, + |
NOT, - |
yes, see directory tab |
|
AltaVista
(advanced) |
yes |
implies phrase in Boolean search, but other options are available |
AND |
NOT |
directory link on Basic Search page (see below) |
Meta Searches - search multiple search engines simultaneously
Ixquick
www.ixquick.com
Vivisimo
vivisimo.com
Academic Resources - selected resources relevant to academic research
Infomine
infomine.ucr.edu
AltaVista
Image Finder
www.altavista.com/image/default
Google Advanced
Image Search
www.google.com/advanced_image_search?hl=en
Image
Finder
sunsite.berkeley.edu/ImageFinder
Government Search Engines - find information on State, Local, and Federal Government websites
FirstGov
www.firstgov.gov/
Google
(Unclesam)
www.google.com/unclesam
SearchGov.com
www.searchgov.com
Evaluating Information on the Web
Evaluating
Sources: Basic Criteria
www.uwb.edu/library/guides/eval.html
Evaluating
Information Found on the Internet
http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/index.html
Librarysmart.com's
Guide to Evaluating Information
www.librarysmart.com/working/LSPublic/01_evaluate.asp
The Virtual Chase
www.virtualchase.com/quality/
Citation
Guides
www.uwb.edu/library/guides/style.html
What's Good About the Web (Strengths)
Broad Coverage - Because no one is responsible for selecting items to be a part of the Web, and anyone can publish information on a webpage, performing a keyword search in any of the larger Internet Search Engines will retrieve an amazingly diverse collection of websites. These websites will vary dramatically in both the quality and accuracy of information they provide. Therefore, it is very important to carefully evaluate what you find on the Web before you cite it as a source in your research project or presentation.
Current Information -- but not always current - Information can be added to the Web very quickly. Because of this speed, most news organizations use the Web to publish breaking news, even when they are in the business of providing news in another format (e.g. Newspapers, TV News). Internet Search Engines are also regularly updated to include new information that is posted to the Web, but they vary in how often their databases are updated.
Caution: Even when a Search Engine has been very recently updated, the websites they index may be out of date. Look at the bottom of each webpage to see if there is any indication of the last time the page was updated.Government Information - The Web is a great way to access information from government sources at the state, federal, and international levels. More and more government publications are being made available in electronic format. In fact, many government publications are only available over the Internet.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) - The Web is a relatively inexpensive way for an association, advocacy group, political party or non-governmental organization to get its message out. Local, national, and international groups are all well represented on the Web.
Museums, Libraries, Universities - After the US Government, academic institutions were the first organizations to be a part of the Internet. Universities, libraries and museums around the world still maintain a strong Web presence, and may provide access to online archives of primary sources.
Special Interest Information - For good or ill, groups and individuals with very specialized interests or alternative viewpoints are able to publish and communicate via the Internet. For example, you can find websites created by rather harmless groups, like model train enthusiasts; but you can also find websites created by hate groups, such as the KKK. If you want to know what a specific group says about themselves, visiting their website is a good option. Keep in mind that when an individual or a group creates a website, they may not only express a particular bias, but they may also be entirely unscrupulous.
What's Not So Good About the Web (Weaknesses)
Lack of Authority - One strength of the Internet is also its greatest weakness - anyone can publish there. Individuals with no particular knowledge of a subject are able to publish on the Internet just as easily as recognized authorities.
Time Consuming to Search - Because of the somewhat chaotic nature of the Web, it can be very time consuming to search effectively. If you know the special features of the major search engines, you can become a more efficient searcher. However, in many cases, looking in a reference book or a journal article database you will find the information you need much faster than searching the Web.
Advertising - The large amount of advertising on the Internet can sometimes obscure more informative, non-commercial content. Online shopping is a popular activity, but a site that is trying to sell you something will not be an unbiased source of information for a research project. For example, Ford Motor Company will have a different view of the safety of SUVs, than will consumer publications.
Incomplete - By 2001, only about 8% of all journals were available on the Web (see 10 Reasons Why the Internet is No Substitute for a Library, by Mark Herring). Copyrighted books and articles cannot be made available on the Web, without the copyright owners permission. In effect, that keeps most titles published in the last few decades from being legally distributed on the Web, without someone paying a fee. The University of Washington pays hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to provide access to journal articles (from a variety of Databases) and to a selection of online books (through the Library Catalog), which you will not find searching the Web.
No Editorial Control - Articles in scholarly journals go through a peer review process. Book publishers, magazines, and newspapers all benefit from editorial staffs who maintain quality control over their publications. While some information on the Web has gone through this process, there is no requirement that information on the Web meet any quality criteria whatsoever, or be reviewed by anyone other than the author.
Inaccuracy
Believe it or not, there is false information on the Web! Since there is no editorial control over the Web as a whole, and anyone can create a webpage, it is extremely important to evaluate what you find very carefully.
Here are some cautionary examples:
Lake Michigan Whale Watching
You didn't know whales lived in the Great Lakes? They don't but you wouldn't know it from this website.Museum of Hoaxes: Hoax Websites
The White House
Those domain extensions do make a difference. This parody site is a .org, the real White House is .gov.
Note: Some of the strengths of the Web can also be weaknesses, and vice versa, depending on your information needs.
Contact a reference librarian or use our Ask a Question Service.