Internet+Research

It surely seems like the internet has made research so much more effective than it used to be - it is easier to get much more information faster than ever before. However, it is also easy to get ensnared by websites claiming to deliver reliable information that is actually biased or completely false. On this page you'll find tips and tricks to uncover the most reliable information on the internet.

__Effective internet research starts with (WHO?) you__

In order to find the best information (WHAT?), you need to know what you're looking for. According to the Media Awareness Network, this means defining your topic as completely and succinctly as possible. Take account of exactly what information you need (and what form you need it in - WHY?) and what information you don't need.

Once you have decided on and narrowed down your topic, you'll need to generate a list of keywords with which you'll conduct your search(HOW?). It is best if these are carefully chosen nouns. You can also include things you're not looking for. For example, if you're researching extinct species, but you don't want any mythological creatures, you may add imaginary to your list of traits that cannot be included in your results. (You would use this term after the Boolean operator AND NOT... more on Boolean searches later.) You can also maximize the efficiency of your search by including phrases - these tell the search engine you want exactly these words in this order. For example, "extinct species" instead of extinct species will result in a list of websites that contain exactly the phrase inside the quotation marks.

__Using the best search engines (WHERE?)__

The logical next step is to take your list of search terms to a search engine - the appropriate search engine for your information need. NoodleTools has a great resource to help you with this step of the process. It lists some of the best search engines according to your purpose for searching. Other than the obvious search engines to which many automatically revert - Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, Bing, Alta Vista - there are other options tailored to more academic pursuits. These include the Library of Congress, research databases like EBSCOhost and peer-reviewed resources like Google Scholar.

__Finally, the BIG FISH to fry__

So you've taken your keywords and phrases to the search engines and now you have some results to weed through. Follow the steps below to evaluate the information you've found and you'll be able to sort the boots from the big fish. No need to follow the steps in any particular order. Just do as many checks as necessary to ensure the information you use is reliable.

1. Try the suggestions given by educational consultant Alan November on his information literacy page. You'll use easywhois.com, archive.org and an altavista search to check the publisher, history and external links of your page.

2. Use the 5 Ws to evaluate your website.

3. If you like to keep your information organized in a form, use a website evaluation checklist. This list is in PDF form and this one is a printable web form.

__A note on plagiarism __

Resources

"How to Search the Internet Effectively." __Media Awareness Network.__ 31 July 2010 .