Exercise 1: Using the Right Syntax Search engines on the web are a very popular research tool for students seeking
information for speeches, papers, or classes. Knowing how to use proper syntax
during the search process can decrease the number of irrelevant sites returned
by the search engine and speed the research process. Listed below are "tips
pages" for several search engines. Review one or more of the pages and
construct a search phrase for your speech topic using one or more of the tips
identified. How did the use of special syntax affect the search you performed? Exercise 2: Evaluating Information Although the Internet provides an inexpensive and convenient source of information,
it is also full of inaccurate and unreliable websites. Learning to view webpages
with a critical eye is an essential skill for researchers at all levels. The
following websites provide excellent tutorials on evaluating websites. Participate
in one of the tutorials and be prepared to discuss what you learned with your
classmates. - The Internet Detective: http://www.sosig.ac.uk/desire/internet-detective.html.
This is a comprehensive interactive tutorial on website evaluation. The site
indicates the tutorial takes approximately two hours to complete; however,
this free tutorial allows users to login and bookmark their place and complete
the tutorial in multiple sessions.
- Evaluating Internet Sites 101: http://169.226.11.130/divs/usered/webeval/.
This short tutorial is interactive and walks users through the steps in carefully
evaluating web resources.
- A Checklist for Evaluating Internet Information: http://www.virtualchase.com/quality/checklist2.html.
This website provides numerous resources for evaluating the authorship, objectivity,
and credibility of websites.
- Evaluating Internet "Research": http://www.vmi.edu/library/kw/evaluate.htm.
This website provides links to "spoofs" and questionable websites
to illustrate how easy it is to mislead people on the Internet.
- You can find similar websites as well as a wealth of related information
by searching for "evaluating internet sites" in any search engine.
Be careful to properly evaluate the websites returned!
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