Online resources to find accurate information
Ellen Whyte, Contributor, Malaysia, ellenwhyte@lepak.com
When you are writing a paper and trying to find online information, using general search services like Yahoo, HotBot and Alta Vista can be a very frustrating experience.
If you are researching a broad topic, especially those concerning business, security or technology issues, keyword queries sometimes return as many consultancy adverts and book reviews as they do quality research and opinion.
Research something newly published or obscure and chances are that relevant resources are not yet indexed. In this article we explore software programs designed to seek out narrowly defined resources, two directories where experts handpick links and two reference starting points.
* Intelligent Agents
Intelligent agents or bots are software programs designed to look for online resources. Companies that own search engines and directories use bots to explore and index what is available online. As bots can be programmed to look for specific keywords, they are also useful for seeking out narrowly defined resources.
The advantage of bots is that you can program them to do your searching for you while you spend your time doing something more constructive. Bots never get tired!
It takes some time to become familiar with the software. Good knowledge of the search parameters necessary for locating the information you are interested in is also vital.
For more information on using bots visit UMBC Agent Web at agents.umbc.edu, BotSpot at www.botspot.com and read the section on Agent-based Information Retrieval at www.cs.umbc.edu/abir.
* A Few Of My Favorite Starting Points
The results intelligent agents return can be cross-checked by people who further catalog and index the sources. Directories that result from this method contain few to none irrelevant or low quality source materials. I don't know if the editors of the following resources use bots, but what is apparent is that these resources specialize in up to date, high quality materials.
- WWW Virtual Library (vlib.org/Overview.html)
The Virtual Library is the oldest catalog of the web, started in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the web itself. It is run by a loose confederation of volunteers, most of whom are academics working at internationally respected universities, who compile pages of key links for their own area of specialization. Continually updated and searchable by keyword, this easy to navigate site is a must for researchers interested in finding high quality resources.
- About.com (www.about.com)
About is organized along similar lines to the Virtual Library in that each page is a compendium of articles and links to resources run by a single person who is deemed an authority by the staff at About.com. Click on the Editor's name to see their qualifications. Unlike the VL you will find pages here discussing the ins and outs of tarot card reading, parenting, motor racing, and other subjects that are not routinely part of academic curricula.
* Checking Facts
When was the Borobudur built? What does the word oxymoron mean? How tall is Mount Everest?
Checking up on the latest issues and discussions you would expect to come across various points of view, yet when it comes to confirming solid facts like battle dates quickly it is easy to be misled because information posted can be dated, incomplete, misleading or just plain wrong. Double and triple checking findings with generally reliable resources will ensure you are not misled.
There are many encyclopedias online that you may access for free, but I have found many of them unreliable. The Encyclopedia Britannica at www.britannica.com is one of the very few fee based online services I recommend. As well as being thoroughly reliable, it is also easy to use. A huge resource, you can browse through categories or search with keywords. Articles are interlinked making cross-referencing easy. Supplementary materials in the form of web site recommendations and newspaper articles are also offered. This web site allows you to see just the first paragraph of each article. Full access requires a monthly subscription fee and visitors are invited to a 14-day free trial.
My Virtual Reference Desk at www.refdesk.com is a hugely popular free "find facts fast" site that is good for attributing classic quotes and finding recent newspaper articles. Simply put, RefDesk is a one page directory with links to hundreds of different dictionaries, almanacs, newspapers, homework helpers, writing guides, quote finders and other useful online resources.
It also has an extensive set of direct search box links to such services as the general search engine Google, the Merriam Webster dictionary, the encyclopaedia and quotations compendium Bartleby.com, Reuters/AP Headlines news service, and other useful resources.
By the way, in case you were curious: the Borobudur was constructed between about 778 A.D. and 850 A.D. An oxymoron is a combination of contradictory or incongruous words such as "gentle violence". And the summit of Mount Everest lies at 8850 meters.