Search Information
Choose a Search Engine
Choose the Best Search Engine for Your Information Needs - This resource was created by NoodleTools to help students in the research process. Understanding your topic, understanding the scope of your topic, refining or narrowing a topic, primary sources, experts in the field - there are different search engines that address different information and research needs. This is a very useful resource.
How Internet Search Engines Work - Internet search engines are special sites on the Web that are designed to help people find information stored on other sites. There are differences in the ways various search engines work, but they all perform three basic tasks:
Dogpile - Each search engine has its own method of searching and each will return different results. Dogpile (info about Dogpile )looks at all of them, decides which are most relevant to your search, eliminates duplicates and reveals them to you. In the end, you get a list of results more complete than anywhere else on the Web. Powered by Metasearch technology, Dogpile returns all the best results from leading search engines including Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Ask, so you find what you’re looking for faster.
How to Choose a Search Tool - A simple to use table to guide you through options in: field & file types, search logic, search options, search results and specialty searches. This is an excellent resource to help you search at an advanced and scholarly level.
Choose the Best Search Engine for Your Information Needs - This resource was created by NoodleTools to help students in the research process. Understanding your topic, understanding the scope of your topic, refining or narrowing a topic, primary sources, experts in the field - there are different search engines that address different information and research needs. This is a very useful resource.
How Internet Search Engines Work - Internet search engines are special sites on the Web that are designed to help people find information stored on other sites. There are differences in the ways various search engines work, but they all perform three basic tasks:
- They search the Internet -- or select pieces of the Internet -- based on important words.
- They keep an index of the words they find, and where they find them.
- They allow users to look for words or combinations of words found in that index.
Dogpile - Each search engine has its own method of searching and each will return different results. Dogpile (info about Dogpile )looks at all of them, decides which are most relevant to your search, eliminates duplicates and reveals them to you. In the end, you get a list of results more complete than anywhere else on the Web. Powered by Metasearch technology, Dogpile returns all the best results from leading search engines including Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Ask, so you find what you’re looking for faster.
How to Choose a Search Tool - A simple to use table to guide you through options in: field & file types, search logic, search options, search results and specialty searches. This is an excellent resource to help you search at an advanced and scholarly level.
Evaluating Websites
Validating Sources
There is a lot of information out there, and it is your responsibility to evaluate the source.
These are advanced tools that can help you with this task.
Looking at the links:
Back link: See who is linking to a site to find out what groups value or follow this information. This can give you perspective on the quality of the information.
Go to AltaVista and start with link:, then type in the URL your are investigating. Leave no space before or after the colon.
Forward link: Hover your cursor over a piece of linked text of graphic. The arrow turns into a hand and a URL will appear in the status bar on the lower left of your browser. This will help you see patterns of reference. Is the site linking to one source, like Wikipedia? This can also give you perspective on the quality of information.
Meta Tags: In Firefox click View > Page Source > In the head of the html version look down for > meta tags to see how the author of the site is describing the site in a way search engines will locate the site.
The Internet Archive - The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public. Use "The Wayback Machine" to find sites that have dropped off the web.
WhoIs - This is very useful for getting information on domain registrations. Look up the registration information of a domain name. Who created it?
EasyWhoIs - Look up the registration information of a domain name. Who created it?
Overture - Learn the business detail about a source. Financial affiliations, demographics, users and rankings. You can learn a lot about a source by knowing who they do business with and who they count as customers.
There is a lot of information out there, and it is your responsibility to evaluate the source.
These are advanced tools that can help you with this task.
Looking at the links:
Back link: See who is linking to a site to find out what groups value or follow this information. This can give you perspective on the quality of the information.
Go to AltaVista and start with link:, then type in the URL your are investigating. Leave no space before or after the colon.
Forward link: Hover your cursor over a piece of linked text of graphic. The arrow turns into a hand and a URL will appear in the status bar on the lower left of your browser. This will help you see patterns of reference. Is the site linking to one source, like Wikipedia? This can also give you perspective on the quality of information.
Meta Tags: In Firefox click View > Page Source > In the head of the html version look down for > meta tags to see how the author of the site is describing the site in a way search engines will locate the site.
The Internet Archive - The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public. Use "The Wayback Machine" to find sites that have dropped off the web.
WhoIs - This is very useful for getting information on domain registrations. Look up the registration information of a domain name. Who created it?
EasyWhoIs - Look up the registration information of a domain name. Who created it?
Overture - Learn the business detail about a source. Financial affiliations, demographics, users and rankings. You can learn a lot about a source by knowing who they do business with and who they count as customers.
Read the URL
Being able to read the URL of a site will help you evaluate before you spend time working with it. The domain designation has information, as well as the grammar of the URL.
Indications you are on a personal page that should be scrutinized for bias, accuracy and authority.
Does the URL have a tilde: ~
Does the URL have %
Does the URL include a personal name
Does the URL include words like: users, people or members
Being able to read the URL of a site will help you evaluate before you spend time working with it. The domain designation has information, as well as the grammar of the URL.
- .com (commercial $)
- .edu (education, most U.S. colleges)
- .ac (academic institution not used in U.S.)
- .org (any organization)
- .net (internet – no specific designation)
- .gov (government agency)
- .net (network)
- .mil (military institution - U.S.)
Indications you are on a personal page that should be scrutinized for bias, accuracy and authority.
Does the URL have a tilde: ~
Does the URL have %
Does the URL include a personal name
Does the URL include words like: users, people or members
