Mining the web like a pro: Google and beyond
Points of emphasis for critical thinking:
- There’s more to search engines than just plugging in words. The best searchers use the advanced features. There are many places to find Google tips.
- No mainstream search engines, even Google, search anywhere close to the entire web. They don’t index every page or database result, nor the entirety of many longer documents. What’s not retrievable via these engines is known as the “deep web” or “invisible web.” That’s why you need to familiarize yourself with many of the sources I’ve reviewed this semester. You can’t rely on Google exclusively.
- Web sites are not all created equal. Evaluate, and trust primary sources FIRST. Sometimes you’ll want to check who owns a web site.
- Web pages don’t die easily. Old pages can be treasure troves.
- The first breakout web search tool was a subject guide. They are still around and still useful.
- In addition to the “general” search tools, there are great “specialty” engines too. Among the best known are Google News, Google Books and YouTube.
For more, see Barbara Gray’s guide.