Lesson 4 Assignment
Due: November 14
NAME:
Each question is worth 1 point
unless otherwise noted. Total points for
this assignment: 32
Please answer all of the questions below and then email your completed
assignment to your instructor (either:
SHORT ANSWER
1. Identify the type of organization that is responsible for each of the
following web pages:
a. http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/html/handbook.html
b. http://www.sfsu.edu/online/clssch.htm
c. http://www.genentech.com/careers/college/internship.html
2.
What is the difference between a subject directory and a search
engine? When is it appropriate to use a subject
directory and when is it appropriate to use a search engine? (4 points)
3.
Why are selective directories valuable for the researcher?
4.
What is a site-specific search engine?
WEB PAGE SEARCH: PRACTICE
Following
the instructions on the Tutorial: Using ANDs & ORs In Google
Searches, please carry out a search for articles
on the following research question, using all of the search terms shown below on
the search worksheet for the research question.
"What
is the effect of illegal immigration on the
Search worksheet for
this research question:
|
CONCEPT # |
Search Terms |
||||
|
1 |
illegal
immigration |
illegal
aliens |
undocumented
workers |
x |
x |
|
2 |
economy |
economics |
x |
x |
x |
|
3 |
|
|
American |
x |
x |
Click HERE
to connect to Google.
Enter the exact
search statement shown below in the Google basic search box. (Do not
use Google’s Advanced Search.)
(“illegal immigration” OR “illegal aliens” OR “undocumented workers”)
AND (economy) AND (
SEARCH
RESULTS
5. How many Web results did your Google
search retrieve?
Look in
the results list and find a web page titled:
“Q&A:
Illegal Immigrants and the
6. Who is the author of
this web page?
7. What is the name of the website that this
page is part of?
8. What is the date of this web page? (Note: Look at the line after the author’s
name.)
WEB PAGE SEARCH: YOUR OWN RESEARCH QUESTION
The rest
of this assignment asks you to find websites on your research question using a
general Web search engine (Google).
DO NOT DO YOUR WEB SEARCH UNTIL YOU
RECEIVE A SUGGESTED SEARCH STRATEGY FOR YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION FROM YOUR
INSTRUCTOR.
YOU WILL NEED TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTOR’S SUGGESTED SEARCH
PREPARING FOR YOUR
WEB PAGE SEARCH
9. Begin by writing the exact
current wording of your research question.
(This should be the same research question you used for the Lesson 3
assignment, unless the instructor specifically requested that you change your
question in some way.):
10. Using the search worksheet below,
write the concepts and search terms for your research question.
Include any corrections you received from the instructor on your Assignment 3.
(Use only those boxes that you need for your topic.)
[Click here for a review of search strategy and an
explanation of using a search worksheet.] (3 points)
|
Concept |
Search Terms |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
USE GOOGLE TO
SEARCH FOR WEB PAGES ON YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION:
NOTE:
DO NOT DO THIS EXERCISE UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED A SUGGESTED SEARCH STRATEGY
FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR.
In this exercise you will try to find websites that
are as closely related as possible to your specific research question.
Use
Google for
this search. All of your concepts
should be included when using a general Web search engine, ORs should be used between search words for the same concept and quote marks should be used around
phrases. (See below.)
(You may want to read the handouts
for the U.C. Berkeley Recommended
Search Engines tutorial before completing this question.)
11. What
was the exact search statement you used?
(Before you
do your search, please read and follow the guidelines below.) (5 points)
Please note: When using Google follow
these guidelines:
· be as precise as possible-- use at least one search term from each of
your concepts;
· put quote marks around phrases
(multiple search words that go together), e.g. “illegal immigration”;
· ORs are required when linking
synonymous or related search terms for the same concept. ORs must be capitalized
in Google.
· It is helpful to add parentheses around each concept to make it easier to see and organize your concepts.
· ANDs are placed between concepts to tell Google to look for all of the concepts
· Truncation symbols (*) are not used in Google.
Do not use them.
(Google will do automatic truncation for many search words.)
Some examples:
Research question: “How will increased use of genetically engineered crops
affect food safety?”
Google
search: (“genetically engineered crops” OR “genetically modified foods”) AND
(“food safety” OR “food quality” OR “food contamination”)
Research
question: “How
does illegal immigration affect the
Google search: ("illegal immigration" OR "illegal aliens")
AND (economy) AND ("
12. How
many web pages/sites did Google find
using your search terms?
(See "Results 1 - 10 of about ---" at the top of the results page.)
13. Click on links from the Google results page to look at some of
the web pages from the list and try to find two web pages that have good
quality information that you could use to write a research paper on your
topic.
What are the titles of the two
best web pages*
that are relevant to your research question that you found using Google?
(2 points)
*IMPORTANT
NOTE:
Please
find a page for which you can identify the website that the page is part of. (There should be a clear link to the
website’s home page on the page you have selected.)
Also,
please do not select any of
the following:
- Wikipedia articles or any
other Wiki pages
- a page that is a web version of an article that has been published in a print
publication, such as a magazine or journal
(a web article that was only
published online, but never in print, is fine.)
- a links page, that just provides links to other pages on a subject
- Group discussion threads
- Blog posts
- a book from Google Book
Search
- a book review
For a description of different types of web pages and documents, please review section 3 of the
Lesson 4 reading
Additional note: Be sure to give the title from the web page itself, not
what is shown on the Google results
page. (Google does not always show the actual titles of the web pages on
its results pages.)
14. Copy and paste below the full
Internet addresses (URLs) for the pages/sites you selected. (When copying the
address, please include the complete address beginning with: http:// ) (2 points)
CRITICAL THINKING /
REFLECTION
15. Thoughtfully compare your
searches and search results on Google to the periodical and book
databases used in the previous assignments (i.e. the PowerSearch databases and the PLS online catalog) in terms of:
a. quality of the information you found
b. relevance to your research question
c. ease of use
(3 points)
16. Describe if and for what purposes you
would use each of these different search tools (Google, PowerSearch databases and the PLS online
catalog) in the future outside of this class.
(2 points)
last revised: 11-20-08
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