Page 167 - Keys To Community College Success

on critical thinking to sort out the valid, credible materials from the invalid, not-so-
credible ones.

Start with search engines
Among the most popular and effective search engines are Google (www.google.com)
and Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com). Search engines aimed at academic audiences include
the Librarian’s Index to the Internet (www.lii.org) and INFOMINE (www.infomine.
com). At these academic directories, someone has screened the sites and listed only
those sources that are reputable and regularly updated.
In addition, your school may include access to certain nonpublic academic search
engines in the cost of your tuition. Sites like LexusNexus, InfoTrac, GaleGroup, and
OneFile are known for their credibility in the academic world, as well as their vast
amounts of information. Risk going beyond Google for the reward of accessing exten-
sive banks of information and resources. Check with your school’s library to see how
to access these sites.

Use a search strategy
The World Wide Web has been called “the world’s greatest library, with all its books on
the floor.” With no librarian in sight, you need to master a practical Internet search
strategy.
1. Use natural language phrases or keywords to identify what you are looking for.
University of Michigan professor Eliot Soloway recommends first phrasing your
search in the form of a question. Then he advises identifying the important words
in the question, as well as related words. This will give you a collection of terms
to use in different combinations as you search (see example below). 9

Initial question: What vaccines are given to children before age 5?
Important words: vaccines, children, before age 5
Related words: polio, shot, pediatrics
Final search criteria (important + related words): vaccines children “before age Reading and Information Literacy
5” “polio shot” pediatrics

Note: Some of the terms in the final search critera above are enclosed in quotes
and others are not. By putting terms in quotes, you tell the search engine that the
words must appear next to one another, rather than at different locations on the
same web page.
2. Use a search engine to isolate valuable sites. Enter your questions, phrases, and
keywords in various combinations to generate lists of hits. Vary word order to
see what you can generate. If you get too many hits, try using more specific key-
words.
3. Evaluate the list of results. The first links in the list of search results are not
always the most relevant. Often, the top hits belong to individuals or companies
that have paid money to have their sites show up first. Scan through the list of
results, reading the short synopsis that accompanies each. You may need to look
further down the list of hits, and maybe even go to the second or third page of
results, to find what you need.
4. Skim sites to evaluate what seems most useful. Once you identify a potentially
useful link, go to the site and evaluate it. Does the site seem relevant and repu-
table? What is its purpose? For example, a blog is apt to focus on opinion; a

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