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  Using Internet as a Research Tool

Topic 1 Introduction to Internet Resources

Categories    Subjects    Purpose    Search Facilities  Search Strategy

Searching the Internet – Strategy

  • Common mistake – using single keyword for search engines
    • Will produce a huge list of useless results
  • Importance of creating a search strategy
    • Gives relevant and helpful results

Using Search Facility

  • For familiar topic, a search engine or meta search engine
  • For unfamiliar topic, use a subject directory as it allows you to browse through relevant links
  • For specialized information, use subject gateways, databases (e.g. EbscoHost) or intelligent agents

Search strategy – 8 steps

  1. Define research topic – what you want at the end of the research, be thorough in your topics
  2. Locate background information– look for general articles in reference sources first as you may only know a little bit about your topic
  3. Decide where to look– in the Internet
  4. Choose the appropriate search facility-choose the proper search tool
  5. Translate question into an effective search query– identify keywords
  6. Perform search
  7. Evaluate results
  8. Refine search

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