Refining a Web Search and Source Evaluation

Refining a Web Search Use of and, not, or And “ _”, *, +, -

Key Words Make a list of keywords. Be as specific as possible but not so specific that your search will produce too few hits or responses. When performing a web search, most search engines or databases allow for the following commands to help in refining the search.

+ and Placing a plus sign in front of a keyword requires That the keyword is in all search results. Examples: civil + war, civil and war.

-not Placing a minus sign in front of a keyword requires That the keyword does not exist in any of the search results. Example: civil –war or civil not war.

or Placing the word or between two words will search For both words independently. This is often the Default on a multiple keyword search. Example: civil or war

“____” Placing words between quotation marks will search for the keyword in the exact order. Example: “civil war”

* Placing a * after a root word is a truncation which would include alternate word endings such as plurals and tense variations. Example: farm*

Source Evaluation Who What When Where Why

Who Who is the author and are they an expert? (Look for education, offices, jobs, etc….) Is a biography of the author included? How can you find more about the author? (Find the author of a web site by right clicking on an empty spot on the website, then click on properties.)

What What is the site’s purpose: to persuade, inform, or entertain? Does the site achieve its purpose? Is the information on the site objective or bias? Does this site provide thorough coverage of the topic? Does it link to other in-depth resources? What makes this web page/site easy to use?

What – Cont. Is the information on the site well written? Are there misspellings or grammatical errors? Does the site contain graphics, video, animations that explain or clarify site’s topic?

When When was the site created? When was the site last updated? Consideration – Some topics have to have the most current copyright date available. Examples: Medicine and Science

Where Where does the information come from? -Is there a section titled works cited? Is the site created or sponsored by a reputable organization? Where can I look to find out more about the producer/sponsor? Click on sponsor at the bottom of the page (read the section entitled - about us). Works Cited Green, Mary. Africa. New York, NY : Williams Publishing, Smith, Bob. Elephants. Fort Collins, CO : Lake Publishing, 2006.

Why Do the resources on this site meet all my needs? Why is this Web site a better research source than some of the other sites I’ve visited?

Domains Good domains to consider..museum – Must be a legitimate museum (good information, should be accurate).gov – U.S. government entities (good information, should be accurate).mil – U.S. military (good sites).edu – is limited to 2 and 4-year institutions.

Domains These are good domains that should be carefully considered. org - organization, in which anyone may register. com – commercial site in which anyone may register.

Domains Carefully consider these domains as well. net – network is a domain that anyone may register under.