GENERAL INFORMATION ON USING THE WWW

The sites on this page are of three types: sites that provide a general introduction to the Internet along with some guidelines on how to evaluate internet resources (one of my favorites is Harris, Robert. "Evaluating Internet Research Sources"), and even create your own web pages.  There is a list of search engines to help you search the Internet for information that you want (along with some material on how to choose and use a search engine), and, finally, a list of metasites (e.g. such as Yahoo, the University of Kansas History Index, and, one of my favorites, Martindale's The Reference Desk).  There is even an extensive list of anthropology resources on the Internet.

 

Bibliography on Evaluating Internet Resources
http://refserver.lib.vt.edu/libinst/critTHINK.HTM

Creating Web Pages for University Instruction
http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/anthropology/UTS/

Internet Detective [Frames]
http://sosig.ac.uk/desire/internet-detective.html

The Internet Detective, an online tutorial developed by staff at The Institute for Learning and Research Technology (ILRT) at the University of Bristol for developing the skills to evaluate information on the Internet.  "With clearly written overviews, interactive quizzes, and worked examples, the tutorial teaches users the key elements of quality Internet information and offers practical tips for evaluating a variety of online resources. Free registration is required to allow users to return to the site as necessary and work through the tutorial at their own pace. " (Scout Report for Social Sciences, 9/22/98)

Internet Tutorials--University of Albany Libraries
http://www.albany.edu/library/internet/

Introduction to Web
http://teleeducation.nb.ca/lotw/

MLA Style--Citing Sources from the World Wide Web
http://www.mla.org/main_stl.htm

Official Netscape Guide to Internet Research
http://www.researchbuzz.com

"The site has tips, tricks, and articles on how to make the most of your Internet research. You don’t have to have the book or use Navigator to make the most of these articles (past articles have included topics like using AltaVista’s special syntax searching, finding news archives online, and kid-safe search engines.) For real research heads, the News part of the site provides information on new and changed Internet research resources, updated just about every business day. That section is also available as a free weekly newsletter." (Weekly Bookmark, 11/15/98)

School of Web Design: Learning Resources
http://www.schoolofwebdesign.com/index2.html

This list of resources at the School for Web Design contains articles on the history of the Internet (including articles by the inventors of the Internet), material on search engines, along with extensive tutorials on designing Web sites.

Searching the WWW
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

Scout Report
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/index.html

The Scout Report is produced by the Computer Science Department at the University of Wisconsin.  each week they produce a list of Web resources on various topics, choosing only those that meet certain criteria for reliability.  There is a special section on evaluating Internet resources that is particualrly useful.

Search Engines

Alta Vista Search Machine
http://www.altavista.digital.com/cgi-bin/query

Cern
http://www.w3.org

Excite
http://www.excite.com

HotBot
http://www.hotbot.com

Infoseek
http://www.infoseek.com

"Just the Answers Please: Choosing a Web Search Service"--_Searcher_ Magazine
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/may/story3.htm

Liszt: Directory of E-Mail Discussion Groups
http://www.liszt.com/about.html

Lycos
http://www.lycos.com/

NY Times Web Resources and Search Engines
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/reference/cynavi.html

Northern Light
http://www.northernlight.com/

Scour.Net
http://www2.scour.net/

"Another addition to the recent wave of multimedia search engines (see the Scout Report for October 9, 1998--http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/scout-981009.html#19), Scour.Net allows users to search for audio, video, images, and animation and then access these files directly, without visiting the site. Poor spellers and sloppy typists will appreciate Scour.Net’s Smartmatch system, which returns results that are closest to the query, even if the spelling is different. Users can choose between a simple keyword search or an advanced search, which allows selection of source and media type. Additional content at the site includes a daily multimedia feature and a Media Resources page with links to tools for viewing, listening to, and creating multimedia files." (The Scout Report, 11/13/98)

Search Engine Colossus
http://www.searchenginecolossus.com/

Created by Bryan Strome, this metasite offers links to a large number of country- or region-specific search engines. The search engines are organized by country, with a link to the service, the language(s) it uses, its point of origin, and a short description when available. The number of search engines available under each heading can vary considerably, as would be expected. Search engines in eleven general categories, including Academic, Business, Medical, and Sports, are also listed. Users wishing to narrow their searches and/or utilize some lesser-known search engines will find this site a helpful starting point. (Scout Report, 9/17/99

Search Engine Showdown
http://www.notess.com/search/

Created and maintained by Greg Notess, author of _Government Information on the Internet_ and a columnist in _Online_ and _Database_, this site offers reviews, analysis, statistics, and strategies for many of the major search engines. Organized in four primary sections (Features, Analysis, Learning, News & Talk) the site explores topics such as search engine database size and capabilities, searching for Usenet and phone number information, subject guides, multiple search engines, and tips on successful searching. The site appear to be regularly updated and additional resources include a newsletter, which users may subscribe to at the site. (Scout Report, 6/11/99)

WebCrawler Searching
http://webcrawler.com/

WebFind Assistant--A Browser Buddy for Searching via the Top 9 Search Engines
http://www.crushware.com/software/webfind/index.html

Yahoo
http://www.yahoo.com

GENERAL PURPOSE DATABASES AND METASITES

Africa 2000
http://www.africa2000.com/

"Africa 2000 is a comprehensive resource for information on population and demographic issues; race, class, and competitive fertility; international 'aid' & economic development; reproductive freedom v. control; covert activities & military strategy; propaganda or 'psy-war' operations; and the political history of north-south relations. Our combined pages present research and analysis by journalists from all over the world, as well as information from hundreds of formerly-classified documents that are available from no other source."

 

African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture

http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam001.html

 

AlphaSearch

http://www.calvin.edu/Lib_Resources/as/

 

Australia National University - Coombsweb Social Sciences Server

http://coombs.anu.edu.au/CoombsHome.html

Bill Trochim’s Center for Social Research Methods http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/index.html

The brainchild of a Cornell University social scientist, this site provides a wealth of materials for learning the fundamentals of social research. Undergraduates (and probably many beginning graduate students) will find invaluable Trochim’s _Knowledge Base_, an online hypertext textbook on applied social research methods that gives step-by-step instruction on "defining a research question, sampling, measurement, research design and data analysis." The site also features "an online statistical advisor" that recommends appropriate statistical tests based on research parameters that users enter; a Research Pointers page that gives links to Internet data and research method sites; and a collection of student Webpages devoted to presenting Internet resources on selected sociological topics (caveat: some of these are better than others and none are more recent than the Spring of 1997). In addition, Trochim offers, for both students and researchers, a collection of online papers written by Trochim and colleagues, focusing primarily on the idea and application of "concept mapping," a research method designed to help communities address and coordinate complicated tasks and projects.  (Scout Report for Social Sciences, 12/14/99)

"In its research, The Brookings Institution functions as an independent analyst and critic, committed to publishing its findings for the information of the public. In its conferences and activities, it serves as a bridge between scholarship and public policy, bringing new knowledge to the attention of decisionmakers and affording scholars a better insight into public policy issues."

United Nations Global Statistics
http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/global.htm

This UN directory site allows users to quickly access national statistics through the official outlets of UN-member states and international statistics through dozens of UN programs and agencies as well as autonomous organizations such as the World Trade Organization and Eurostat. Data covered include, but are not limited to, health care, economics, politics, environment, and social demographics. The site offers a simple search engine with Boolean capabilities and is updated on a biweekly basis. (The Scout Report for Social Sciences, Nov. 2, 1999)

Click Here For An Extensive List of Anthropology Resources on the Internet