Databases and the Internet: What’s the Difference?
Databases are:
o
Web-based
research tools to which the library
subscribes for Ramapo students and faculty. Over 60+different databases at the
George Potter Library, some are interdisciplinary, covering a wide variety of
subjects and some are for discipline specific, such as business, computers,
communications, history, social work etc.
o
Provide access to
this information remotely and on campus.
o
They have
sophisticated search features that enable you to find more relevant articles
efficiently.
o
The quality of
information is more reliable and appropriate for academic use.
o
There are no
pop-ups flashing on the screen to distract you.
The Internet:
o
Is the
international network of computer networks (the whole thing).
o
Includes email,
FTP(transfer Protocol, Telnet, and Usenet)
o
Anyone can access.
o
Provides access
to information quickly.
o
Not all
information is available, is free or reliable.
o
Not a research
tool like databases the library provides for student and faculty.
o
Anyone can
publish on the web.
o
There are no
complete lists of web sites
o
There are no
official organizers, catalogers or evaluators
o
Sites change
constantly; new sites are constantly created; and sites often disappear
o
There are no
standards for web search tools.
Prepared by Shirley Knight, Reference Librarian, FYS Library Liaison
9/05
Basic Anatomy of an internet address or URL
Before you begin searching
the internet get an idea of the type of content that is available to you (is it
educational, governmental, medical, shopping etc.?) Most times when you search, you never think to thoroughly examine
the internet addresses of web sites you find. Each site has a unique address
which is called Universal Resource Locator (URL). Each part of the URL
represents information about a web site.
Sample URL: G.T.P. Library http://library.ramapo.edu
http:// = hypertext transfer protocol - refers to the
format used
to
transfer and deal with information
www = world wide web
library = host server
Ramapo = server location
Top Level Domain Names:
.edu
= Educational
Institution
.gov
= U.S. Governmental
.org = Non-profit Organization
.com = Commercial Enterprise
.net = Networks, Internet
Services Provider
.mil = U.S. Military
See “Evaluating Web Sites” under “Reference Assistance” on the library’s
homepage http://library.ramapo.edu,
Sample Hoax Web Sites:
The WhiteHouse http://www.whitehouse.org
Sample Legitimate,
Hoax and Bad Web Sites for Further Exploration:
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: or Why It’s a Good Idea to
Evaluate Web Sources
Sources Consulted:
Prepared by Shirley Knight,
Reference Librarian
sknight@ramapo.edu, 10/05
Evaluating
Books
Unlike web sites, books go
through an extensive editing and reviewing process, as do scholarly journals.
However, that does not guarantee that every book written is suitable for your
research. Consider the following criteria.
For what type of audience is the author writing? Is
the level of the book appropriate for your needs? Is the book for:
§
General readers
§
Students (high
school, college or graduate school)
§
Professionals or
specialists
§
Researchers and
scholars
What is the purpose of the book?
§
To persuade? (e.g. behavior, belief)
§
To inform? (e.g. give results of an experiment or
study)
§
To entertain? (e.g. toasts, humor)
§
To teach how to
do something? (e.g. business plan,
writing)
§
To give an
overview? (e.g. dictionary, encyclopedia, handbook)
Is there a bibliography?
Scholarly works contain a
bibliography of resources that were consulted. References should show sufficient
quantity and be appropriate for the content.
§
Is it short or
long?
§
Is it selective
or comprehensive?
§
Are references to
primary sources (e.g. journal articles) or only secondary sources (e.g.
encyclopedias)?
§
Are references
contemporary to the book
§
Is the citation format
clear and consistent?
What is the organization and content?
§
Does the table of
contents indicate that the book contains the information you need?
§
Is there added
illustrations and appendices you might need?
§
Is the book
organized in a clear and understandable manner?
Is this book relevant to the current research project?
If so, does it:
§
Support an
argument
§
Refute an
argument
§
Give examples (
e.g. primary research findings)
Who published the book?
§
A university
press? (usually more scholarly,
information)
§
A commercial
publisher? (oriented more toward general public)
§
Government
(international,
§
Professional or
trade association, institution or research center? (professional/industry)
§
Vanity Press? (Self
published or the author pays to have it published)
When was it published?
§
Does it provide
the most current information on your topic?
§
Do you need an
older book that gives historical or theoretical information on your topic?
§
Are the
statistics and facts recent enough for your research?
What is the authority of the author?
§
Is the author an
expert in the field?
§
Where is the
author employed?
§
What else has
he/she written?
§
Has he/she won
awards?
Sources Consulted:
Colorado State
University Libraries http://www.colostate.edu
Prepared by Shirley Knight, Reference Librarian, FYS Library
Liaison
10/05