Library

Using the Web for Research

The Web can be a great resource for your research, depending on the information for which you are looking. Federal, state, and local governments have posted large amounts of data on the Web, as have corporations and businesses. Many political and charitable organizations also post materials on their Web sites.

A caution, though: although search engines can access huge amounts of information, there is even more that cannot be reached by search engines. This includes academic, professional and scholarly information. Some of this data is available only through electronic subscription databases. They cannot be searched by search engines.

Search Terms:

Appropriate search terms are the basis for successful results. A necessary first step is the identification of the keywords that characterize the subject in which you're interested. As an example, you might want to research the subject of affirmative action in university admissions policies. The resulting search might include the keywords:

  • affirmative action
  • university
  • admissions

Search Engines

Once you've determined the words or phrases that describe the subject of your interest, the next step is to select a search engine. For a listing and a comparison of search engines, please see Cornell University's Web site. By entering the keywords and initiating the search, the Web will automatically be searched and the results displayed.

Boolean Searching

A refinement of the above search would be to include the term college with university by use of the Boolean connector OR, (university OR college) which will increase the number of responses from your search. For an explanation of Boolean logic, please see the Web site of the University of Albany.

Directories

Another means of searching is by subject, by which you can move through a series of headings until you hit the subject you seek. An example of this type of arrangement can be found on Yahoo's Web site.

Web Links

Library Tutorial:
Using the Catalog | Finding Books | Finding Articles | Evaluating Web Sites