ADDITIONAL HELP AND INFORMATION
Help with "Works Cited" Pages (i.e., bibliography, footnotes, endnotes, etc.)
Ways to Search the Web
How to Evaluate Web Sites to Find Good and Reliable Information
Recommended Search Engines and Review Sites
HELP WITH "WORKS CITED" PAGES
Excellent guides to citing traditional library resources and Web resources are provided online at the following sites:
Schwartz Memorial Library of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, "Citation Style for Research Papers "http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citation.htm [very easy to follow; color coded]
The Writers' Workshop at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign at http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/
Auburn University Library at http://www.lib.auburn.edu/citations.html
Jacksonville State University Library at http://www.jsu.edu/depart/library/graphic/cite.htm .
Each site above covers all major citation styles including MLA, APA, Turabian, plus government publications and electronic resources such as InfoTrac and EBSCOhost. Many electronic sites for reference works and journal articles will offer examples of citations. Students should always consult with their instructors for specific instructions regarding research paper documentation.
HOW TO EVALUATE WEB SITES TO FIND GOOD & RELIABLE INFORMATION
How to Find Good Information on the Web. Shelton State Community College.
Critically Analyzing Information Sources. Cornell University Library.
Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages. Cornell University Library.
The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly. New Mexico State University Library.
Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources. UCLA Library.
WAYS TO SEARCH THE WEB
Use a Search Engine, which is a machine-generated searching technique that locates words within webpage titles, addresses, and text. This technique is best used to locate a great deal of information or "hits" on a particular topic or to locate a specific title that is already known (as in the title of a webpage, song, article, etc.). Be aware that search engines may locate thousands or hundreds of thousands of poor choices. For information on search engines and how they operate, go to the Search Engine Watch site. Google, which arranges hits by relevance, is a highly recommended search engine.
Use a Subject Guide when you need more assistance. A Subject Guide is usually developed and maintained by professional librarians or information specialists who organize web sites by specific subject headings. Because the content is reviewed by some means, there is usually higher percentage of relevant hits on search terms. Some Subject Guides may be machine-generated, based on the number of times a term appears in a document. Most college and public libraries that are online provide recommended subject lists of web resources.
Use a source that includes Review Sites. These sources provide professional reviews to websites, which means the content has been reviewed and evaluated according to criteria for good communication on the WWW. These sources are useful in identifying the best and most reliable resources among millions available. Some Search Engines and Subject Guides have review or recommended sections. For the best results in a comprehensive search, use more than one search engine, subject guide, or review source. Each search tool has "help" sections which provide more detailed information to help improve searching.
RECOMMENDED SEARCH ENGINES AND REVIEW SITES
To go directly to each search tool or review site, click on the icon or title below.
is an excellent source for getting directly to informational sites (rather than personal webpages). It is a people-driven search tool that consistently locates more direct hits on general topics. Like Yahoo!, Google is a good first choice for searching for general topics. It is faster in getting to selected sources and, unlike almost all of the other engines and guides, carries no advertising and no value-added services. Its greatest service is in listing the best selections at the top of the list.
is a broad general starting point for most types of searching. It is people-driven Subject Guide rather than machine-driven Search Engine, which means it is more selective and more likely to take you directly to the sites you need for your research. In addition, it includes a number of value-added features, such as People Search, movie/TV information, weather information, geographic Yahoos!, Yahooligans! for kids, etc. If you have a general topic and don't know of specific sites or online titles, use Yahoo!
THE LIBRARIANS' INDEX TO THE INTERNET is another descriptive, evaluated subject listing of Web sites. It is compiled by librarians at UC/Berkeley and represents good professional advice about various sites. A special feature is the weekly subscription, which automatically sends reviews of new sites to the subscriber's e-mail address.
INTERNET RESOURCES INDEX is a regular column posted through College & Research Libraries Newsnet, an online publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries (a division of the American Library Association). Internet Reviews cover a broad range of subjects with reviews by professional librarians (in the same way that books and other resources are reviewed).
TOOLKIT FOR THE EXPERT WEB SEARCHER is an annotated guide to Internet search tools, browsable by major category (Subject Guides, News Searching, etc.), prepared by Pat Ensor, director of the W. I. Dykes Library at the University of Houston-Downtown. This site provides links to good search engines, subject guides, news, multimedia, and other online resources. This site is useful for students and librarians alike. Pat Ensor says: "I keep up with this stuff so you don't have to!"
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Maintained by D. Grimes, Director of Library Services, Brooks-Cork Library, Shelton State Community College. Updated 6/10/07.