• Consult the appropriate subject listing (Chemistry, Psychology, History, etc.) listed in the Find Web Sites section of the Library's Web site.



• Do a search in WorldCat that is limited to "Internet Resources"



• Use the following sites to search for scholarly information on the Web
  1. Infomine
  2. Google Scholar
  3. Directory of Open Access Journals (a list of free online scientific & scholarly journals)
  
  
• Search the Web for sites that provide information on your topic, but remember that many Web sites are not reliable and may provide false or misleading information. Some good search engines are:
1. Google (a search engine that emphasizes academic sites)
2. Altavista
3. Alltheweb
4. Yahoo!


• More search engines are listed on the Library's Web site - click on Find Web Sites, then on Internet Search Services and Tools.

• Interlibrary loan is a service provided to current OC students, faculty and staff to obtain materials NOT held in the OC Library within copyright limitations.
  
  
• Interlibrary loan requests can be made in three ways:
  1. By filling out the online form on the library's Web page
  2. By filling out the paper forms available at the front desk
  3. By clicking on the ILL button available in many of the research databases
  
  
• To fill out the online form:
  1. Go to library's Web site (www.oc.edu/library)
  2. Select: Interlibrary loan (under Request It Online)
  3. Type in the information about the book or article you'd like to request
  4. Press the Send button.
  
  
• When the material arrives, you will be notified by email that the item is available at the front desk.

• AND - will retrieve articles that have both terms. Example: If you search on "cat AND dog," you'll get articles about both cats and dogs.
• OR - will retrieve articles that have either term. Example: If you search on "cat OR dog," you'll get articles about cats, about dogs, and about cats and dogs.

• Truncation allows you to search for different versions of the same word. Basically, you substitute an asterisk (*) for one or more letters. This is a quick and easy way to include plurals, tense variations and alternate spellings. Example: "religio*" will find religious, religion, religions, etc.
• Be careful when using truncation; "cat*" will find cat, cats, catastrophe, catalog, catapult, etc.

• Think about whether you want to search by:
  1. title
  2. keyword
  3. subject
  4. author
  5. journal title
  6. unique fields within databases. Example: The index in Historical Abstracts lets you search by decade, so that you can see everything that's been published about the 1920s.

• What are the date limitations? Example: PsycInfo provides citations to articles published since 1887.
• What are the subject limitations? Example: ERIC covers primarily journals in the field of education.

• Using dates to limit your search - do you want only the most recent material?
• Using journals to limit your search - do you want to restrict your search to certain journals?
• Using language to limit your search - do you want to restrict your search to articles in English?

• Use the database that is appropriate for your topic
• Databases are grouped by subject on the Library's Web site

1. What is the purpose? Is it to inform, persuade, present opinions, report research, or sell a product?
   
   
2. Can you tell what the purpose is? (The purpose should be clear from the title or introductory screens.)
   
   
3. Does the source fulfill the purpose?
   
   
4. Is it popular, scholarly, or trade?
   
   
   • If it's a popular source (like a magazine), it may:
     
     
     1. be unsigned
     2. be written by someone outside the field
     3. have no references
     4. be written for the general public
     5. contain advertisements
     
     
   • If it's a scholarly source (like a scholarly journal), it may:
     
     
     1. be signed
     2. be written by an expert
     3. provide the author's position and institution
     4. provide references
     5. be written for a small group of people with specific interests
     6. use specialized language
     7. be published by an association or scholarly press
     
     
   • If it's a trade publication, it may:
     
     
     1. be targeted to a specific field
     2. contain articles written by staff writers or experts in the field
     3. have a colorful format similar to popular magazines
     4. provide references
     5. contain numerous advertisements that appeal to people in that field
     6. include limited footnotes or references to other works
     
     
5. Are any biases evident?

• For all sources:
  
  
  1. What are the author's qualifications? (Many Internet sources do not give the identity or credentials of the author or producer. Sources that do not give this information have questionable reliability.)
     
     
  2. Can you contact the author?
     
     
  3. Can the information be verified elsewhere?
  
  
• For Web sites:
  
  
  1. Is the site maintained by a well-known association or governmental agency?
     
     
  2. What is the domain? (Many Internet sources are not reviewed before being posted; however, government, educational, and organizational sites often have some sort of review process. If no review process is stated or evident, you may assume there is none.)
     
     
     • .GOV = government
     • .COM = business
     • .ORG = organization
     • .EDU = educational affiliation
     
     
  3. How permanent does the site appear? Has it existed long?
     
     
  4. How many other sites reference this site?
     
     

1. When was the information published?
   
   
2. How current is the information?
   
   
3. Is the date of publication important to the subject matter? (In fields such as medicine, science, business, and technology, currency of information is important. In fields such as history and literature, older materials may be just as valuable as newer ones.)

1. What is the breadth of coverage?
   
   
2. Does the page provide more or less information than you need?

1. Does the author refer to other works?
   
   
2. Does the source have a bibliography?

1. Who is the source meant for? A layperson or a specialist in the field?
   
   
2. Does it answer your question?

1. Does the source have a clear, easy to read format?
   
   
2. How easy is the source to use?
   
   
3. Are there any special features, such as a bibliography, tables or charts?

Above all, "...trust no one." (William A. Katz)