Internet research Skills
Internet Based Research
Skills
Ezra Shiloba Gbaje
shiloba@yahoo.com
Department of Library and Information Science
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Presented at
Petroleum Technology Development Fund
Induction Workshop for 2007/2008
PTDF Overseas Scholars
Overview of Internet
The Internet is an informal, global
computer network connecting millions of
computers across the world.
It is a voluntary network in which any
computers connected have chosen to do
so in order to share and exchange
information in a quick and effective
manner.
www.sharondelight
.com
Physical Components of the
Internet
www.sharondelight
.com
Components of the Internet
•
•
•
•
•
•
WWW (World Wide Web)
E-mail
FTP
Telnet
Listserv
discussion forum
www.sharondelight
.com
The Web
• The web had at the end of 2006 contain
more than 80 billion web pages stored in
computers all over the world.
• Millions of new Web pages are being
added each day.
• Some existing pages are being updated or
altered while some pages are being
removed.
www.sharondelight
.com
Challenges of the web
• Information overload
• Conducting a search can be time
consuming and frustrating for the non
expert.
• Wurman (2001) noted that, between
60% and 80% of people searching for
information on the web failed to find
what they were looking for.
www.sharondelight
.com
Search Tools
• A search tool is a computer program
that performs searches on the web
• Each search tool’s web site
comprises of a store of information
called database linked to other
databases at other Web sites.
www.sharondelight
.com
Types of Search Tools
•
•
•
•
•
Directory search tool
Search engine tool
Directory with search engine
Meta search tool
Library website and Catalog
www.sharondelight
.com
Directory search tool
• The search method it employs is also
known as a subject search. Examples of
directory/sub search tool are the
Looksmart (http://search.looksmart.com/ )
www.sharondelight
.com
Directory search tool
• Advantage: It is easy to use. The,
information placed in its database is
reviewed and indexed first by skilled
persons to ensure its value.
• Disadvantage: Because directory reviews
and indexing is so time consuming, the
numbers of reviews are limited
www.sharondelight
.com
Search engine tool
• It searches for information through the use
of keywords and responds with a list of
references
• Examples of search engine tool include
AltaVista, Google, Infroseek and Live.
www.sharondelight
.com
Search engine tool
• Advantage: Its database is substantially
larger and more current than that of a
directory search tool.
• Disadvantage: Keyword searches require
far more explanation than subject
searches, because of their broader scope
and greater complexity.
www.sharondelight
.com
www.live.com
www.sharondelight
.com
Directory with search engine
• It uses both the subject and keyword
search methods interactively as described
above.
www.sharondelight
.com
Directory with search engine
• Advantages: Ability to narrow the search
field to obtain better results.
• Disadvantages: This search method may
not succeed for difficult searches.
www.sharondelight
.com
www.sharondelight
.com
http://www.dmoz.org/
www.sharondelight
.com
Meta-engine search tool
• It utilizes a number of search engines in
parallel. Examples of multi engine search
tool include Dogpile, Savvysearch and
metacrawler
www.sharondelight
.com
Meta-engine search tool
• Advantage: Tolerant of imprecise search
questions and provides fewer hits of likely
greater relevance.
• Disadvantage: Not as effective as a
search engine for difficult searches.
www.sharondelight
.com
www.Dogpile.com
www.sharondelight
.com
Search Methods
• A search method is the way a search tool
requests and retrieves information from
the Web site.
Keyword search
Subject search
www.sharondelight
.com
Keyword search: Boolean
• AND requires that both terms are present
somewhere within the document being
sought
• OR requires that at least one of the terms
is present.
• NOT excludes any document containing
the term.
www.sharondelight
.com
• Plus / Minus
• Phrases
• Truncation
www.sharondelight
.com
Evaluating Internet Resources
• Accuracy of Web Documents
Who wrote the page and can you contact him
or her?
What is the purpose of the document and why
was it produced?
Is this person qualified to write this
document?
www.sharondelight
.com
Evaluating Internet Resources
• Authority of Web Documents
Who published the document and is it
separate from the "Webmaster?"
Check the domain of the document, what
institution publishes this document?
Does the publisher list his or her
qualifications?
www.sharondelight
.com
Evaluating Internet Resources
• Objectivity of Web Documents
What goals/objectives does this page meet?
How detailed is the information?
What opinions (if any) are expressed by the
author?
www.sharondelight
.com
Evaluating Internet Resources
• Coverage of the Web Documents
Are the links (if any) evaluated and do they
complement the documents theme?
Is it all images or a balance of text and
images?
Is the information presented cited correctly?
www.sharondelight
.com
Evaluating Internet Resources
• Currency of Web Documents
When was it produced?
When was it updated?
How up-to-date are the links (if any)?
www.sharondelight
.com
Open Access Initiatives
• OAI is a new paradigm in scholarly
publishing. It aims to promote models that
ensure free and unrestricted access to
scholarly & research journals.
www.sharondelight
.com
Invisible Web: http://infomine.ucr.edu/
www.sharondelight
.com
Invisible Web: http://www.academicinfo.us/
www.sharondelight
.com
Invisible Web: http://www.academicinfo.us/
www.sharondelight
.com
Invisible Web:
www.sharondelight
.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Open Access Engineering
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Open Access Engineering Journals
Engineering Economics - Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania
Crosstalk - the Journal of Defense Software Engineering - United States Government
Information Technology Journal - ANSInet
BioMedical Engineering OnLine - BioMed Central
Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering - The University of Melbourne, Australia
International Journal of Online Engineering
Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan - The Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan
Electronic Journal of Geotechnical Engineering
International Commission of Agricultural Engineering - CIGR
Journal of STEM Education - Auburn University, USA
Journal of Nanomaterials - Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Egypt
Mathematical Problems in Engineering - Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Egypt
Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences
Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - Brazilian Society of Chemical Engineering
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Quarterly - Coratia, Slovenia and Austria
Please comment to mention any others. More post on open access.
www.sharondelight
.com
www.sharondelight
.com
www.sharondelight
.com
J-Gate
www.sharondelight
.com
Advance search J-Gate
www.sharondelight
.com
Library Website
• Library Catalog
• Carefully selected and evaluated
resources
• Links to other library catalog
• Remote access to resources
• Interlibrary loan
• Consortium
www.sharondelight
.com
References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bailey, Jr., C.W (2006). What is Open access?, in Neil Jacobs(ed). Open Access: Key Strategic,
Technical and Economic Aspects. Oxford – England : Chandos Publishing.
Comer D. (2000). The Internet Book: Everything You Need To Know About Computer Networking
And How the Internet Works. 3rd edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. ISBN: 0-13030852-8.
Evaluation Criteria for Web Resources. Retrieved on 18/06/2007 from
http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
Gbaje E.S. (2002). Towards an Effective Internet Search. Samaru Journal of Information Studies,
Vol. 1(1), 15-18.
http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/misc/sizeofweb.html
L-Soft international, Inc. General User's Guide to LISTSERV. Retrieved on 26/07/2007 from
http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8d/user/user.html
Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (2003, January). Do-It-Yourself : writing weblogs in a
knowledge society. Paper presented at the American Education Research Association
Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Pitschmann, Louis A. (2001). Building sustainable collections for free third party web resources.
Washington, D.C.: Digital Library Federation, Council on Library and Information Resources.
Suber P. (2003). Removing barriers to research: An introduction to open access for librarians.
C&RL News.
www.sharondelight
.com
Skills
Ezra Shiloba Gbaje
shiloba@yahoo.com
Department of Library and Information Science
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Presented at
Petroleum Technology Development Fund
Induction Workshop for 2007/2008
PTDF Overseas Scholars
Overview of Internet
The Internet is an informal, global
computer network connecting millions of
computers across the world.
It is a voluntary network in which any
computers connected have chosen to do
so in order to share and exchange
information in a quick and effective
manner.
www.sharondelight
.com
Physical Components of the
Internet
www.sharondelight
.com
Components of the Internet
•
•
•
•
•
•
WWW (World Wide Web)
FTP
Telnet
Listserv
discussion forum
www.sharondelight
.com
The Web
• The web had at the end of 2006 contain
more than 80 billion web pages stored in
computers all over the world.
• Millions of new Web pages are being
added each day.
• Some existing pages are being updated or
altered while some pages are being
removed.
www.sharondelight
.com
Challenges of the web
• Information overload
• Conducting a search can be time
consuming and frustrating for the non
expert.
• Wurman (2001) noted that, between
60% and 80% of people searching for
information on the web failed to find
what they were looking for.
www.sharondelight
.com
Search Tools
• A search tool is a computer program
that performs searches on the web
• Each search tool’s web site
comprises of a store of information
called database linked to other
databases at other Web sites.
www.sharondelight
.com
Types of Search Tools
•
•
•
•
•
Directory search tool
Search engine tool
Directory with search engine
Meta search tool
Library website and Catalog
www.sharondelight
.com
Directory search tool
• The search method it employs is also
known as a subject search. Examples of
directory/sub search tool are the
Looksmart (http://search.looksmart.com/ )
www.sharondelight
.com
Directory search tool
• Advantage: It is easy to use. The,
information placed in its database is
reviewed and indexed first by skilled
persons to ensure its value.
• Disadvantage: Because directory reviews
and indexing is so time consuming, the
numbers of reviews are limited
www.sharondelight
.com
Search engine tool
• It searches for information through the use
of keywords and responds with a list of
references
• Examples of search engine tool include
AltaVista, Google, Infroseek and Live.
www.sharondelight
.com
Search engine tool
• Advantage: Its database is substantially
larger and more current than that of a
directory search tool.
• Disadvantage: Keyword searches require
far more explanation than subject
searches, because of their broader scope
and greater complexity.
www.sharondelight
.com
www.live.com
www.sharondelight
.com
Directory with search engine
• It uses both the subject and keyword
search methods interactively as described
above.
www.sharondelight
.com
Directory with search engine
• Advantages: Ability to narrow the search
field to obtain better results.
• Disadvantages: This search method may
not succeed for difficult searches.
www.sharondelight
.com
www.sharondelight
.com
http://www.dmoz.org/
www.sharondelight
.com
Meta-engine search tool
• It utilizes a number of search engines in
parallel. Examples of multi engine search
tool include Dogpile, Savvysearch and
metacrawler
www.sharondelight
.com
Meta-engine search tool
• Advantage: Tolerant of imprecise search
questions and provides fewer hits of likely
greater relevance.
• Disadvantage: Not as effective as a
search engine for difficult searches.
www.sharondelight
.com
www.Dogpile.com
www.sharondelight
.com
Search Methods
• A search method is the way a search tool
requests and retrieves information from
the Web site.
Keyword search
Subject search
www.sharondelight
.com
Keyword search: Boolean
• AND requires that both terms are present
somewhere within the document being
sought
• OR requires that at least one of the terms
is present.
• NOT excludes any document containing
the term.
www.sharondelight
.com
• Plus / Minus
• Phrases
• Truncation
www.sharondelight
.com
Evaluating Internet Resources
• Accuracy of Web Documents
Who wrote the page and can you contact him
or her?
What is the purpose of the document and why
was it produced?
Is this person qualified to write this
document?
www.sharondelight
.com
Evaluating Internet Resources
• Authority of Web Documents
Who published the document and is it
separate from the "Webmaster?"
Check the domain of the document, what
institution publishes this document?
Does the publisher list his or her
qualifications?
www.sharondelight
.com
Evaluating Internet Resources
• Objectivity of Web Documents
What goals/objectives does this page meet?
How detailed is the information?
What opinions (if any) are expressed by the
author?
www.sharondelight
.com
Evaluating Internet Resources
• Coverage of the Web Documents
Are the links (if any) evaluated and do they
complement the documents theme?
Is it all images or a balance of text and
images?
Is the information presented cited correctly?
www.sharondelight
.com
Evaluating Internet Resources
• Currency of Web Documents
When was it produced?
When was it updated?
How up-to-date are the links (if any)?
www.sharondelight
.com
Open Access Initiatives
• OAI is a new paradigm in scholarly
publishing. It aims to promote models that
ensure free and unrestricted access to
scholarly & research journals.
www.sharondelight
.com
Invisible Web: http://infomine.ucr.edu/
www.sharondelight
.com
Invisible Web: http://www.academicinfo.us/
www.sharondelight
.com
Invisible Web: http://www.academicinfo.us/
www.sharondelight
.com
Invisible Web:
www.sharondelight
.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Open Access Engineering
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Open Access Engineering Journals
Engineering Economics - Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania
Crosstalk - the Journal of Defense Software Engineering - United States Government
Information Technology Journal - ANSInet
BioMedical Engineering OnLine - BioMed Central
Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering - The University of Melbourne, Australia
International Journal of Online Engineering
Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan - The Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan
Electronic Journal of Geotechnical Engineering
International Commission of Agricultural Engineering - CIGR
Journal of STEM Education - Auburn University, USA
Journal of Nanomaterials - Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Egypt
Mathematical Problems in Engineering - Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Egypt
Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences
Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - Brazilian Society of Chemical Engineering
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Quarterly - Coratia, Slovenia and Austria
Please comment to mention any others. More post on open access.
www.sharondelight
.com
www.sharondelight
.com
www.sharondelight
.com
J-Gate
www.sharondelight
.com
Advance search J-Gate
www.sharondelight
.com
Library Website
• Library Catalog
• Carefully selected and evaluated
resources
• Links to other library catalog
• Remote access to resources
• Interlibrary loan
• Consortium
www.sharondelight
.com
References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bailey, Jr., C.W (2006). What is Open access?, in Neil Jacobs(ed). Open Access: Key Strategic,
Technical and Economic Aspects. Oxford – England : Chandos Publishing.
Comer D. (2000). The Internet Book: Everything You Need To Know About Computer Networking
And How the Internet Works. 3rd edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. ISBN: 0-13030852-8.
Evaluation Criteria for Web Resources. Retrieved on 18/06/2007 from
http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
Gbaje E.S. (2002). Towards an Effective Internet Search. Samaru Journal of Information Studies,
Vol. 1(1), 15-18.
http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/misc/sizeofweb.html
L-Soft international, Inc. General User's Guide to LISTSERV. Retrieved on 26/07/2007 from
http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8d/user/user.html
Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (2003, January). Do-It-Yourself : writing weblogs in a
knowledge society. Paper presented at the American Education Research Association
Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Pitschmann, Louis A. (2001). Building sustainable collections for free third party web resources.
Washington, D.C.: Digital Library Federation, Council on Library and Information Resources.
Suber P. (2003). Removing barriers to research: An introduction to open access for librarians.
C&RL News.
www.sharondelight
.com