Using the Web for ResearchDr. Carla Piper

Brandman University

Using the Internet: World Wide Web

• Firefox Browser • Internet Explorer

Graphics

Interactive Links

TEXT

Sound

Video

How does the web work?

• Computers that hold information for access on the web called WWW Servers.

• Type the address of the server into your browser – File: Open Location

• The URL – Uniform Resource Locator will find the server for you to “talk to.

• The URL takes you to the “home page.”• http:// = HyperText Transfer Protocol –

way of transferring HTML web pages

Types of Websites - Extensions

• .gov – government site – www.ed.gov • .edu – university site – www.brandman.edu • .com – commercial site – www.amazon.com • .net – originally network or e-mail website*• .org – originally organization site*• .mil – military site• . K12.ca.us – public school site (k-12)• .html – the web page extension – Hyper Text

Markup Language (or .htm)*Opened up top-level domains .org and .net to allow other types of websites.

Additional extensions have been suggested and are being reviewed.

Web Search EnginesDatabases of information • Yahoo – www.yahoo.com

– Subject Directories (TREE)– most widely-used internet catalog– Professionals classify web pages into

categories– Yahooligans for kids

• Dogpile, Bing, Alta Vista, Hotbot, Lycos• Ask.com – http://www.ask.com/

– Type in a simple question in plain English

• Search Engine Guide - http://www.searchengineguide.com/

Other Search Engines• Meta-search Engines –

– MetaCrawler, Inference Find. Ixquick– Combine results of several search engines

into one

• Specialized Search Services – Deja-News• Google – http://www.google.com• Advanced Google Searches

Government Databases

• National Center for Education Statistics - http://nces.ed.gov/ 

• Library of Congress – http://www.loc.gov

• U.S. Department of Education – http://www.ed.gov

• ERIC – Educational Research Information Center – http://www.eric.ed.gov – Journal Abstracts and Digests – Site-specific Search Engine for

Education

Boolean Logic for Searching

• Boolean Logic – means by which search terms can be combined

• Boolean Operators – keywords• Most Common Used by Search

Engines– And – all specified search terms appear– Or – At least one of the specified terms

appears– And Not/Not – Excludes terms– Near/Followed by – Based on proximity

of words to one another

“or” links two terms and expands a search

“and” links two terms and narrows search

“not” narrows a search by excluding a 2nd term

Boolean

General Guidelines• The internet is not like a library

– No established set of rules– Not specialists – like trained librarians– No organization

• Most useful as supplementary tool• No guarantees that source is reliable or

unbiased – anyone can publish• Can be a black hole – sources disappear• Be patient – the web is often slow• Useful information is not always free!

Ask yourself these questions:

• What server did you find the information on?

• Who wrote or put up the information?• What are the credentials of the author

or web manager?• Could there be a hidden agenda behind

this information source?• The web is not an encyclopedia!

Information Literacy

You have the ability to:• Know when you need information• Know how to find information• Know how to evaluate information• Know how to process information• Know how to use information to make

appropriate decisions in your life

http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/info_literacy/

Brandman University Library Services

http://www1.chapman.edu/library/

• Click on General Database Link• Click on “show more” under

“change subject”• Choose “education” -

http://cufts2.lib.sfu.ca/CRDB/COU/browse/facets/subject/230

– Education Full Text – HW Wilson– ERIC – HW Wilson or EBESCO

Search Database by Subject

• Technology• Education• Computers• Other Content

Areas

Search through Journal Finder

ERIC - Great site for learning all about ERIC Resources - http://www.eric.ed.gov/

ERIC Digestshttp://www.ericdigests.org

Learning APA Style:

http://www.apastyle.org/learn/index.aspx

ERIC

Resources• Brandman University Library Services -

http://www1.chapman.edu/library/centers/ • Brandman University Tutorials and Research Guides -

http://chapman.libguides.com/brandman • Education Databases -

http://cufts2.lib.sfu.ca/CRDB/COU/browse/facets/subject/230 • Course Guides (Download EDUU451/551 guide) -

http://chapman.libguides.com/content.php?pid=58069&sid=591620

• Using the Internet: World Wide Web Pages Featuring Education - http://www.ed.gov/pubs/OR/ConsumerGuides/webpage.html

• Information Literacy: The Web is not an Encyclopedia -http://www.oit.umd.edu/units/web/literacy/

• Penn State Boolean Searching - http://www.sgps.psu.edu/foweb/lib/boolean_search/index.html

• About.com – Learn How to Use Boolean Search Operators - http://websearch.about.com/od/internetresearch/a/boolean.htm

• Internet Tutorials - http://www.internettutorials.net/boolean.asp