searchtools

Slide1: 

"When they say, 'Gee it's an information explosion!', no, it's not an explosion, it's a disgorgement of the bowels is what it is. Every idiotic thing that anybody could possibly write or say or think can get into the body politic now, where before things would have to have some merit to go through the publishing routine, now, ANYTHING." - Harlan Ellison

Web Search Tools: 

Web Search Tools How to get the most out of search engines, web directories, and meta-searchers

The Web is great for locating…: 

The Web is great for locating… Current information Background information related to current events Live, “as-it-happens” information (e.g., breaking news stories) Customizable information (e.g., Yahoo “add-ons”) Specific facts Information buried within documents that you can’t locate using an online catalog, printed or CD-ROM indexes, or tables of contents Multimedia resources: pictures, sound clips, maps, etc. Government information Timely information: stock quotes, real estate and job listings Information that you can subsequently keyword search using a search engine

… but it has only modest amounts of…: 

… but it has only modest amounts of… Books Archival materials (manuscripts, census data, historical documents, etc.) Scholarly criticism of literature, art, music, etc. Retrospective databases Citations or full-text for articles in older periodicals The web is also not a reliable medium for long-term storage and retrieval of information.

The “Invisible” Web: 

The “Invisible” Web Sometimes called the “Deep Web” Information that search engines cannot or refuse to index because it is locked up within databases At least 500 times bigger than the part of the web “visible” to search engines Want to know more? Go to www.brightplanet.com The bottom line: DON’T RELY ON GENERAL WEB SEARCH TOOLS FOR ALL YOUR INFORMATION NEEDS!

Web Indexes, Directories & Review Sites: 

Web Indexes, Directories & Review Sites Built by humans Selective Evaluated Organized according to a scheme Most like a Subject search on ALICE Based on a thesaurus (pre-defined list of terms) Includes see & see also references Two types of searching: browse and keyword Can use various search techniques to focus results Not a “live” search Major advantage: user-friendly; can be easily browsed Major disadvantage: limited number of sites indexed Cannot find information located inside other databases, e.g., ALICE or Academic Search Premier.

Slide7: 

InfoTree Ohio U. Librarian

Web Search Engines: 

Web Search Engines Built by “robot” programs, not humans Not selective Not evaluated Results “arranged” but not organized Most like a keyword search on ALICE No thesaurus No cross-references Keyword searching only Must use keyword search techniques to focus results Not a “live” search Major advantage: can locate information “buried” inside web pages Major disadvantage: can bring back too many results Cannot find information located inside other databases, e.g., ALICE, Periodical Abstracts, etc.

Slide10: 

? Dogs 2 Documents ? Cats 2 Documents

Slide11: 

? Dogs OR Cats 3 Documents ? Dogs AND Cats 1 Document ? Dogs NOT Cats 1 Document

Search Tools Aren’t Perfect…: 

Search Tools Aren’t Perfect… Search Tool % of Web Indexed % Outdated Links AltaVista 28 2.5 Excite 14 2.0 HotBot 34 5.3 Infoseek 10 2.5 Lycos 3 1.5 Northern Light 20 5.0 Based on a study done in December 1997 and published in the April 3, 1998 issue of Science.

…and They’re Losing Ground!: 

…and They’re Losing Ground! Search Tool % of Web Indexed % of Web Indexed Dec. 1997 Feb. 1999 AltaVista Excite HotBot Infoseek Lycos Northern Light Snap Google Yahoo 28.0 14.0 34.0 10.0 3.0 20.0 15.5 5.6 11.3 8.0 2.5 16.0 15.5 7.8 7.4 Based on a study done in December 1997 and published in the April 3, 1998 issue of Science, and a follow-up study done in February 1999 and published in the July 8, 1999 issue of Nature.

Search Engine “Reliability”: 

Search Engine “Reliability” Search Terms mars mars jupiter mars jupiter mercury mars jupiter mercury pluto mars jupiter mercury pluto mickey Number of Hits 1,844,953 615,650 635,900 423,990 1,103,810 Searches done May 3, 1999 on AltaVista What is the default, “AND” or “OR”?

Search Engine “Reliability” (cont.): 

Search Engine “Reliability” (cont.) The last search had, as its #5 result, a page titled “Terry Pluto on Mickey Mantle and Jerry Garcia.” None of the other planets showed up anywhere in the document. 8 of the other top 10 were about Disney characters, and the only one about planets was titled “Tiny Pluto No Mickey Mouse Planet.” (from a librarian at Wesleyan U.)

Meta-Search Tools: 

Meta-Search Tools Results gathered by sophisticated search programs Not selective Not evaluated Results “arranged” but not organized Most like an “automated” reference librarian No thesaurus No cross-references Keyword searching only; search once – multiple results (in simultaneous meta-searchers) Can use limited keyword search techniques Not a “live” search Major advantage: saves time and keystrokes Major disadvantage: can’t customize each search Cannot find information located inside other databases, e.g., ALICE, Periodical Abstracts, etc.

Evaluating Websites: 

Evaluating Websites Accuracy Authority Coverage Currency Objectivity

Citing Websites: 

Citing Websites More than one correct way: APA, MLA, etc. See http://www.library.ohiou.edu/libinfo/howto/citing.htm Example (MLA): William Faulkner on the Web. 7 July 1999. NU of Mississippi. 20 Sept. 1999. http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/ faulkner.html.

Points to remember…: 

Points to remember… It’s not all on the web! Remember the Invisible Web Directories vs. Search Engines Use Advanced Search features No search engine is perfect Evaluate, Evaluate, Evaluate!