Better Internet Research

Why is this Orientation Important?

I understand why so many of you use the Internet for all of your research. It’s just so easy to find information. After all, you can type any word into any Search Engine and it will probably find millions of results. And more is better, right? NO!

You don't really need millions of websites on your topic. Your goal should be to find a few good ones.

The problem with using the Internet for research is that the quality of the information on the Internet is much harder to judge. You don’t know if the website you have found on the topic diabetes has been provided by a doctor at the top of this field, or by an eighth grader who has created the page on his home computer for his science class, or by a drug company trying to sell you their latest product.

You can locate vast quantities of information in seconds, but how much of it is relevant and good quality?

There is a lot of good quality information on the Internet. It is an incredible resource. However, because anyone can create a website, it is up to you to determine if it is good. This is why using the Internet for your research is such a challenge.

This online orientation will train you to be a better Internet researcher.

What Will You Learn?

You will learn how to do better searches using two different types of Internet search tools: Search Engines and Subject Directories. You will learn how to evaluate websites. And you will learn how to use the URL or Internet address of a website to do a basic evaluation. You will also learn a little bit about the Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia.

How does this work? How do I get credit for this orientation?

After you have read through the complete Online Internet Orientation, you will need to complete the Final Quiz to receive credit for completing this orientation.

The quiz is posted online. You will need to print out a copy of the quiz. Once you have answered the questions, bring it to the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor of the Learning Resource Center on the Sacramento City College Campus. A librarian will give you a "Proof of Completion" form to give to your instructor for credit.

If you are a distance education student, please contact the Reference Desk to find out how to obtain credit for the quiz at 916-558-2461.

You will only be able to obtain your proof of attendance slip or credit for your quiz during the hours that the library is open.

Click here to see the current library hours: http://www.scc.losrios.edu/~library/libraryinfo/hours.htm

You will need to go through the complete tutorial to answer the Quiz questions correctly.

Let's get started with a short discussion of what the Internet is.

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Better Internet Research	Sacramento City College Library Online Internet Orientation