Searching+for+Information

=Searching for Information= Define Locate Select Organise Present Assess
 * Steps into Research

Research Skills Preview the text Fast reading Skimming Scanning Read to understand SQ3R Notetaking Writing Editing Research Tutorials Advanced Google Searching About Search Engines The Deep Web || Links NSW Board of Studies B.O.S. Computing Skills Test Education Network Australia (EdNA) [|Gifted Education Research Resource and Information Centre] Gifted and Talented [|Ibiblio] [|Internet Public Library] P.L. Duffy Resource Centre Teaching and Learning(TaLe) The Learning Federation [|State Library Links]

Ask Now - Ask a Librarian **[|http://www.asknow.gov.au]** ||
 * || Some of the following links may need updating. ||

· What questions are you trying to answer? What do you already know? What do you have to find out? · If you have an assignment e.g. Women in Ancient Egypt. Find the main idea in the assignment and put it into the form of a question. · Use Question starters, Who, What, Where, When, and How. E.g. How did the women of Ancient Egypt live? What did they wear? What did they eat? What did they do for fun? · If you don’t understand any words in the assignment look them up in a dictionary or encyclopedia. || · ** Make a list of your keywords ** or draw a concept map. · Add any other words that mean the same thing, e.g. women and female. · Add new words as you find them. || · Choose information sources that meet your needs. Sources good enough for a Year 7 assignment may not help much in Year 12. · Think about places that might have the information you want, e.g. government agencies, museums, businesses, people and universities. · What type of information do you need? ||
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 * ** Step 1 Deciding what you are looking for. **
 * ** Step 2 Find the words, the keywords or search terms that you will be looking for. **
 * ** Step 3 Decide where to look for information. **
 * || ** Type of Information ** || ** Where to look. ** ||
 * Current and up to date || Newspapers, Journals and WWW ||
 * Background information || Almanacs, Factbooks, Encyclopedias in print or online, and reference and non-fiction books . ||
 * In depth information || Non-fiction books, journals and articles on the WWW by well known experts. Lots of journals are now online. ||

Texts include, books, journals and webpages. Judge a book by its cover, the title and blurb give clues as to what it is about. Is the contents section well set out and helpful? Does it contain sections on your topic? Is the text easy to read, with headings, summaries, diagrams, graphs and photos? Is there a nice big index? · Is this information up to date? When and where was it published? Atlases, encyclopaedias, webpages and books can have old information. Countries and cities change their names, populations grow, governments, presidents and prime ministers change, new technologies and industries are established, and science discovers new information all the time. · Who wrote it and why? Are they an expert? Are they reliable? Are they trying to sell you something? Was it a university professor, Indiana Jones, Kmart, or a Grade 6 student from Mudgee? · Is it accurate? Does someone check it to make sure its correct? Some entries in Wikipedia may be incorrect and so can some in the World Book Encyclopedia. If your not sure cross check with other sources. · Ask yourself does this information help to answer your question? Is it relevant? Just because a web page or book is about the Ancient Egypt doesn’t mean it says anything useful about how women lived then. · If a text doesn't help you to answer your question or it is hard to read find another one. || · ** Change your reading speed to suit your purpose. **  · Read fast to get an idea of what the text is about, to find the important bits, to find the central idea or to find specific information, (i.e. the population of Mongolia, or a phone number), Skimming and scanning are fast reading techniques. · Read the **contents** and **index** to find where to start reading. . Read the headings and subheadings until you find the relevant section. Read the first two paragraphs of a chapter. Read the first and last sentence in a paragraph. Look for any words that are in **bold**, __underlined__ or in //italics//. Read the sentence around any keywords. Skip anything that is off the topic. Read the diagrams and captions. Read the last paragraph of a chapter and any conclusion. If you find new keywords add them to your list. Well structured writing states what it is about at the beginning, gives the detail in the middle and summarises at the end. If a section of text is just what you are looking for, come back to it later and read it again more slowly. ·. When you scan a book, or webpage you are looking for keywords. When you find one, read the text around it more slowly. Scanning is a fst way of looking for specific information. ** to understand and remember. ** Read analytically to work out what the author means, when following instructions, to understand new or difficult ideas and to remember. Some stuff you just have to read more than once before you get it. One technique is called, **Survey** your text (preview), **Question** (what do you want to find out?), **Read** (sometimes more than once), **Recite** (stop and remember the three most important things in that section, make a note), **Review** (how does it all fit together). || · Make a note of where you got the information. This will save time when you want to find it again and when you list your references in your assignment. It also helps you avoid plagiarism. · If you find a good website bookmark it for later or cut and paste the address into a word document. · Use postit notes in books to mark pages and to add your own comments. You can highlight the important parts on photocopies. · If you cut and paste notes into a Word document, always include the Web address that you got if from, and give it a file name you will recognise later, e.g. 'Egyptian Women June 2006.doc · If writing notes use your own words and only use words you understand. If you don't understand a word look it up in a dictionary. · Keep your notes short, just the main terms, definitions, ideas and information that help to answer your question.. · Quotations can be written down and used in your assignments. Use quotation marks and make a note of who wrote it, when and the webpage address or book details. · Summarise what you have found out in your notes, because you don't want to have to read it all again later. || · Combine information from several sources to build the answer to your question. · Leave out anything that doesn't help to answer the question. · Organise your information using headings and subheadings. If you use a word processor you can move paragraphs around to see where they fit best. If you are writing by hand you can cut up your notes or write you notes on card to help put them in the best order. · Include evidence to back up what you say. · Include the sources you used in the bibliography. || · Ask yourself, "What is my purpose?" What you are trying to do with this information? · Who is your audience? Who will read or view what you create? Will it be a teacher, other students, parents or the wider community. Present your information so that it will suit the needs of your audience. · How can you present your information? Do you have a choice? Possibilities include an essay, a brochure, a poster, a PowerPoint presentation, a movie, a web page or something else. || · Set it out in a logical way, that answers the question. · Use headings and subheadings to organise the information and help the reader. · Make sure it is easy to read. If your teacher has given you a format, follow it. · Put in page numbers. · Include your bibliography. · Make sure your name is on it. || · Look at the layout, is it easy to read. · Check for spelling and punctuation mistakes, the spell checker won't find them all. · Does it need some diagrams or pictures? · Read it out loud to yourself and see if it makes sense. · Get a friend or parent to read it. Can they understand it? · Is it complete? || · As you are doing each step you are thinking, do I have enough information, could I say it a different way, and could the presentation be better? It is a continuous process of improvement. · At some point time runs out and you have to say, "Did I do what was required?" and "Is this is good enough?" Then hand it in. · Every time you do an assignment it is chance to learn something to make the next one better or easier. Listen to comments from your teachers, your friends and other students. Remember the things that got good marks and that people liked and do that again next time. Also remember any comments about what you could have done to make it better. Make a note of what worked and what didn't.   · ** Congratulate yourself on a job well done. ** ||
 * ** Step 4 Selecting and evaluate information sources. **
 * ** Step 4 Selecting and evaluate information sources. **
 * ** Step 5 Reading for information. **
 * ** Step 6 Take and organise your information. **
 * ** Step 7 Organise your information. **
 * ** Step 8 Decide how you are going to present your information. **
 * ** Step 8 your first draft. **
 * ** Step 9 Check and your work.  **
 * ** Step 10 How did it go? **

[] || general search engines | metasearch engines | international web search | academic web resources | learning objects| books | subject directories |invisible web | images | multi-media | repositories | preprints | blogs | podcasts | people | searching guides | evaluation | Web Archives | tips [] || This site focuses on teaching you how to become a better searcher with Google, by using its Advanced Search capabilities. It uses four simple steps to narrow down your search. Add Google Advance Search to your bookmarks. ** N ** arrow your search, use ** E ** xact Phrases, ** T ** rim the URL, seek ** S ** imilar Pages. [] || [] || [] || [] || Tips on using internet search sites like Google, alltheweb, and Yahoo. This site includes: What's new with search engines. Basic frequently asked questions about search engines. How to plan a search. How Search Engines work. Historical information. [] || This is "one of the world's first Internet search engines, established before AltaVista, Inktomi and Excite." The site claims more than 11.5 million Australian Web pages and almost 100 million global Web pages. URL: [] ||
 * = and finding information on the Internet  = ||
 * ** [|Best Search Tools Chart] ** from InfoPeople [|http://www.infopeople.org/search/chart.htm] ||
 * ** [|Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need] ** Information Literacy: Search Strategies from [|NoodleTools]
 * ** [|Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need] ** Information Literacy: Search Strategies from [|NoodleTools]
 * ** [|College of Charleston Libraries Web Searching] **
 * ** [|College of Charleston Libraries Web Searching] **
 * **// [|Digital Librarian] //**// a librarian's choice of the best of the Web // [] ||
 * ** [|Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial] ** From the University of California at Berkeley [] ||
 * ** [|Four NETS for Better Searching.] **
 * ** [|Four NETS for Better Searching.] **
 * ** [|Four NETS for Better Searching.] **
 * ** [|The internet 4 classrooms] ** Helping teachers use the Internet effectively. [] ||
 * ** [|Librarian's Internet Index] ** A publicly-funded website from California and Washington state in the USA. [|http://lii.org/] ||
 * ** [|pandia.com] On Web searching and marketing with the latest search engine news. **
 * Learn how to search the Web more efficiently
 * Read about search engines and sites devoted to searching
 * Gain easy access to all the best search tools
 * Learn about search engine marketing
 * Find the best online search engine optimization resources
 * Learn about search engine marketing
 * Find the best online search engine optimization resources
 * ** [|Search Engine Watch] ** Find out about Search Engines [] ||
 * ** [|SearchHelpCenter.com] ** Effective Internet Search: Search Help
 * Use more than 1 search engine.
 * Enter at least 3 search terms.
 * Refine your queries.
 * Try out advanced search features.
 * Look beyond the first page of search results.
 * Find out how search engines work.
 * Improve your overall search skills.
 * Improve your overall search skills.
 * ** [|Searching the World Wide Web: a basic tutorial] ** . From Tilburg University Netherlands
 * ** [|Searching the World Wide Web: a basic tutorial] ** . From Tilburg University Netherlands
 * ** [|The Spider's Apprentice] **, "A Helpful Guide To Web Search Engines"
 * ** [|Web Wombat Australian Search Engine] **
 * ** [|Web Wombat Australian Search Engine] **

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 * ** [|On-line tutorials on information seeking skills and tools] ** From Monash University Library
 * ** [|On-line tutorials on information seeking skills and tools] ** From Monash University Library
 * ** [|Essential Steps in looking for information.] ** From Monash University Library
 * ** [|Essential Steps in looking for information.] ** From Monash University Library

This site focuses on teaching you how to become a better searcher with Google, by using its Advanced Search capabilities. It uses four simple steps to narrow down your search. Add Google Advance Search to your bookmarks. [] || [] ||
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 * ** [|Advance Search with Google] using the Four NETS for Better Searching system. **
 * ** [|Advance Search with Google] using the Four NETS for Better Searching system. **
 * N ** arrow your search, use ** E ** xact Phrases, ** T ** rim the URL, seek ** S ** imilar Pages.
 * Use Google's other options [] ||
 * Use Google Scholar to search for articles. [] ||
 * Use Google Directory to search for information by subject.
 * Use Google Scholar to search for articles. [] ||
 * Use Google Directory to search for information by subject.
 * Use Google Directory to search for information by subject.

The **"surface web"** or **"visible web"** is what you get from general web search engines or most internet directories. The **"deep web"** or **"invisible web"** is what you cannot retrieve or see in the search results of search engines and directories. It consists of subscription and public online database services and web pages that only get created when a database is accessed. The "deep web" is supposed to be about 500 times bigger than the surface web. Library gateways are good for finding the resources on the invisible web. [] || Also check the article at searchenginewatch.com [] ||
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 * ** [|Definitions] **
 * [|About Web Searching] How to Web Search and How to find free stuff. [|http://websearch.about.com] ||
 * [|An Article About InvisibleWeb.com] by Mark A. Smith NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University [|www.InvisibleWeb.com] no longer seems to be available. []
 * [|An Article About InvisibleWeb.com] by Mark A. Smith NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University [|www.InvisibleWeb.com] no longer seems to be available. []
 * [|The British Library Digitised Texts] The British Library has a collection of complete digitised texts [] ||
 * [|The Educators Reference Desk.] From the Information Institute of Syracuse, the people who created AskERIC, the Gateway to Educational Materials, and the Virtual Reference Desk, the Educator's Reference Desk delivers a host of resources. [] ||
 * [|Infomine] Scholarly Internet Resource Collections [] ||
 * [|Looksmart Find Articles.] This database allows a search of reputable articles on different topics from leading academic, industry and general interest publications. Many are free. [] ||
 * [|The Deep Web] An article at wikipedia [] ||
 * [|Looksmart Find Articles.] This database allows a search of reputable articles on different topics from leading academic, industry and general interest publications. Many are free. [] ||
 * [|The Deep Web] An article at wikipedia [] ||
 * [|The Deep Web] An article at wikipedia [] ||