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Before you use a web page as a research source, remember to ask:
Who is the author and what are his/her qualifications? Is the author an expert? Who hosts the site, and is it a reputable organization?
What is the purpose of the site? Is it to provide facts, or is it to sell you something or to voice an opinion?
When was the site created or last updated?
Where did the author get the information? Are the sources cited?
Why should I use this information? Is it relevant to my research topic?
Search Tools
Search engines and directories assist you in finding information on the web. To select the best search tool for your purpose link to: http://www.noodletools.com/noodlequest/
Here is a list of a few of the most popular search tools:
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This usually finds a few good sites quickly! |
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To ask your question in your own words. |
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Your broad topic should be first broken down into subject categories. |
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You are looking for something which has a unique search term but is hard to find. |
Subject directories are web sites that are arranged by subject and provide links to sites that have been selected by real people (often librarians!) Besides those connected with search tools listed above, here are some sites which provide excellent subject access to web sites.
| Internet Public Library | http://www.ipl.org/ref/ |
| Librarians' Index to the Internet | http://lii.org |
| Keene High School's Dewey Browse | http://www.deweybrowse.org |
| NH State Library Internet Resources | http://pierce.state.nh.us/internet |
Meta-search engines can query multiple search engines at one time. They are convenient to use but offer fewer searching options. Here are a few:
| Dogpile | http://www.dogpile.com |
| Meta-Crawler | http://metacrawler.com |
| Profusion | http://www.profusion.com |
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