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Information Literacy for Policy Makers and Influencers
UNIT 3: SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION ONLINE
THE INTERNET AND THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Many people use the terms Internet
and World Wide Web (or just ‘the web’)
interchangeably, but in fact the two
terms are not synonymous. The
Internet and the Web are two separate
but related things.
 The Internet is a Big Collection of
Computers and Cables.
 The Web is a Big Collection of
Web Pages on the Internet.
To get connected to the Internet you
need:
1. A computer- may be a notebook, a desktop, etc.
2. An Internet service provider (ISP)
3. A modem- a telecommunication device that allows you to connect
your computer to another or to a network of other computers.
4. Communications software- Web browsers and connectivity software.
Web browsers allow you to access information on the Web e.g.
Internet Explorer, Netscape, or Mozilla
SEARCH TOOLS
There are different types of search tools including:
Live search engine
Automatically searches the Web for the search string (or words) you
have typed in. There is NO human indexing. It often returns you LARGE
lists of results, but because it uses keyword matching only, the
RELEVANCE may be lower, and the list of results includes very brief
information for each Web site listed (making it harder to sift through for
what you are after). It usually gives you up-to-date results, and many
give you the option (in 'Advanced Search' screens) to only search for a
Information Literacy for Policy Makers and Influencers
particular date range. Good examples of LIVE Search Engines include
Google, Bing or AllTheWeb.
Directory/Subject Gateway
Organizes pre-selected Web sites into subject areas. Directories are
created by human indexing. It allows you to search for 'search strings' or
words, just like a LIVE Search Engine, but will also let you click through a
menu (or a hierarchy) to find information on your topic. For example, you
could select more specific subjects, like: Computers - - Internet - - Web
development - - Web graphics. It usually gives you a SMALLER results
list, but the results will be much more SPECIFIC for your topic! It is
compiled and indexed by humans (which takes time) the information
retrieved is often not up-to-date. Good examples of a DIRECTORY or
Subject Guide include Google Directory and Eldis.
Meta-search engine
Searches other Search Engines. It will search several LIVE Search
Engines (such as Google, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves) at the same time. It
gives you a small result - usually 5-10 results - from each Search Engine
looked at. It is fully automatic. There is NO human indexing or
involvement in a Meta tool. It allows you to do a QUICK and BROAD
browse of what information may be on the Internet for your topic. It is as
up-to-date as the LIVE Search Engines that it uses. Good examples of a
META Search Engine include Dogpile and Metacrawler.
SEARCH TECHNIQUES
Boolean operators are AND, OR and NOT. Some search engines use a
minus sign (–) instead of NOT. These operators are used to combine
search terms when doing research.
Information Literacy for Policy Makers and Influencers
You can also use brackets to combine boolean searches. You can use
inverted commas to find phrases. Finally you can use truncation to find
related words
REMEMBER- some search engines are cleverer than others! For
example, if you search for contain on google, it will automatically also
search for contains, container, containment etc. If you search for multiple
words on google, it may still give you a result which is missing one word
if it seems to be relevant. Other search engines and databases will
ONLY search for exactly what you have entered. You need to
experiment with each search engine to find out how to use it best
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
 Bookmarking allows you to save a webpage location so you can
easily come back to it.
 Map websites can help you find
locations.
 Google translate allows you to
search for information which is in
other languages.
 Wikis (including Wikipedia) allow
many people to share and combine
their knowledge- but always check
the accuracy of facts!