Research Skills:   

How Do Search Engines Work, and Can You Trust the Web? -- Teacher Tips

Student Goals:

• Learn features and merits of web searching tools
• Develop strategies to evaluate web sites for quality and authenticity
• Practice proper citation of sources
• Develop skill searching an information database

Steps for learning the search tools:

1. Review the Little Search Engine presentation--Understanding Internet Search Engines--to teach students the strengths and weaknesses of different types of search tools. 
2. Briefly examine the two Information RESOURCES links :
   • Search Engine Guide groups search engines best suited to various tasks
   • Best Search Tools Chart contains Infopeople's most up-to-date recommendations
3. Use the Search Engine Quiz to test and/or reinforce students' knowledge of Internet resources.

Steps for developing evaluation skills:

1. Read UC Berkeley's rationale for evaluating web sites (near bottom of the linked page). Describe the cartoon image to your students:

Two dogs are looking at a computer screen, and one says, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." A great image to remind us to have a healthy skepticism of Internet authorship.

2. Review the 6 guidelines for evaluating information on the web from W VA Community College. (Note: A web site called Things to Know about the Internet presents information in a simple format, which might be easier for some students.)
3. Select a web site and evaluate it with your class, using the Evaluation Checklist.  (You may want to brainstorm a list of "hot" topics with your students and then locate sites through Google or another search engine.)
4. Pass out printed copies of the Evaluation Checklist.
5. Ask students to work in pairs to evaluate two different web sites on the same topic.  Supply a list of research topics or direct students to choose one of the pairs of topics listed on SD State's Evaluating Resources page. 
6. The Evaluation Checklist is designed to help students evaluate two web sites, and at the same time, locate the parts of the citation.  To complete the final blank, "Write a citation," they should be able to copy their other answers in sequence, carefully matching the punctuation in the model.

Reminders for Properly Citing Resources:

• Emphasize that anyone who publishes something on the world wide web owns that material. 
• Someone else who uses a portion of that material in their own publication must cite the source.
• We can't emphasize too often or too strongly the responsibility for proper citation.   

Bonus points: Can your students use each of these words correctly: sight, site, and cite??  How about a poster contest for best visuals or examples?

Database Skills:

In the Resources row of the module home page, ProQuest Publication Database links to an assignment that provides practice exploring ProQuest at basic and advanced levels.  Consult your T: Drive to see the correction key. The file is named ProQuestkey.doc.