Do You Know How a Search Engine Works
Do you know how a SEARCH ENGINE works?
Read the information below to learn more.
DEFINITION: Search engines use a computer program called a spider. A spider is sometimes
called a webcrawler because it crawls around the Web, exploring webpages and their links and
collecting information.
After the spider has collected the information, a second computer program indexes, or organizes in a
list, all the information. Each search engine’s spider and index organize webpages a little bit
differently.
Search engines also have a third computer program. When you type keywords into the search
engine, that program goes into the index to find webpages that match your keywords. It shows these
matches on a results page.
The sites with the best matches are displayed first. Each search engine has a different way of
identifying the best matches. This is why you will probably get different results from different search
engines.
These three tasks are all done without any human involvement – so a huge number of sites are indexed
quickly. The spider keeps crawling around, updating the index every time the information on a
webpage changes. (Note: Review the Key Vocabulary word “index” with students. Make sure to go over
both the noun and verb definitions.)
CHECK THEM OUT: The most popular search engines in 2010 are Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask.
Maybe you have heard of these. Some search engines you might want to check out are Factmonster
and Quintura.
Read the information below to learn more.
DEFINITION: Search engines use a computer program called a spider. A spider is sometimes
called a webcrawler because it crawls around the Web, exploring webpages and their links and
collecting information.
After the spider has collected the information, a second computer program indexes, or organizes in a
list, all the information. Each search engine’s spider and index organize webpages a little bit
differently.
Search engines also have a third computer program. When you type keywords into the search
engine, that program goes into the index to find webpages that match your keywords. It shows these
matches on a results page.
The sites with the best matches are displayed first. Each search engine has a different way of
identifying the best matches. This is why you will probably get different results from different search
engines.
These three tasks are all done without any human involvement – so a huge number of sites are indexed
quickly. The spider keeps crawling around, updating the index every time the information on a
webpage changes. (Note: Review the Key Vocabulary word “index” with students. Make sure to go over
both the noun and verb definitions.)
CHECK THEM OUT: The most popular search engines in 2010 are Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask.
Maybe you have heard of these. Some search engines you might want to check out are Factmonster
and Quintura.
Do You Know How a Directory Works
Do you know how a DIRECTORY works?
Read the information below to learn more.
DEFINITION: In a directory, people, not computers, put the index together. Editors, the people
who choose information to include from directories, evaluate websites and organize them into
subject categories.
Because people have chosen them, the sites in directories may be of higher quality, and more
related to the subject you are searching. However, the number of sites in a directory is usually much
smaller than in a search engine’s index.
Many people use the term “search engine” to describe either a search engine or directory. And some search sites offer both services.
CHECK THEM OUT: Some well-known directories are Yahoo Directory, Lycos, About, Open Directory
Project (dmoz), and ipl2. Also, check out Yahoo and ipl2 because they have special directories for kids.
Read the information below to learn more.
DEFINITION: In a directory, people, not computers, put the index together. Editors, the people
who choose information to include from directories, evaluate websites and organize them into
subject categories.
Because people have chosen them, the sites in directories may be of higher quality, and more
related to the subject you are searching. However, the number of sites in a directory is usually much
smaller than in a search engine’s index.
Many people use the term “search engine” to describe either a search engine or directory. And some search sites offer both services.
CHECK THEM OUT: Some well-known directories are Yahoo Directory, Lycos, About, Open Directory
Project (dmoz), and ipl2. Also, check out Yahoo and ipl2 because they have special directories for kids.
Meta Search Engine
Do you know how a META-SEARCH ENGINE works?
Read the information below to learn more.
DEFINITION: A meta-search engine sends your keywords to several different search engines at the
same time. It searches the search engines! The results from each search engine are organized and
displayed on one page.
This type of service is useful when your topic is very narrow, or specific, and you want to search as
many websites as possible.
CHECK THEM OUT: Popular meta-search engines for you to check out are Dogpile and MetaCrawler.
Read the information below to learn more.
DEFINITION: A meta-search engine sends your keywords to several different search engines at the
same time. It searches the search engines! The results from each search engine are organized and
displayed on one page.
This type of service is useful when your topic is very narrow, or specific, and you want to search as
many websites as possible.
CHECK THEM OUT: Popular meta-search engines for you to check out are Dogpile and MetaCrawler.
Tips for strategically searching the internet.
Strategic Searching
Directions
Use the following searching strategies to conduct an effective and
efficient online search.
1. Use multiple, specific, descriptive keywords for narrower results.
Example: Searching for concerts will lead to a variety of musical events, ticket purchasing
opportunities, and tour dates. Searching for underground hip-hop shows Bay Area will
lead to narrower, location-based results.
2. If at first you don't succeed, try synonyms.
Example: If you’ve tried searching for rare cats but haven’t found what you are looking for,
try searching for exotic cats, rare felines, or exotic felines.
3. Place quotation marks around specific words or specific places you're looking for.
Example: If you want information on the president’s residence, search on “White House”
rather than white house.
4. Add a minus sign before a word to show that you don't want that one included.
Example: If you are searching for mullet but you want the fish and not the hairstyle, you
would enter: mullet -hair
5. Look for two words at once by placing OR between them.
Example: If you want information on Cornell but you’re not sure whether it’s a college or a
university, search on Cornell College OR University. (Note: the OR has to be capitalized!)
6. Search for and pay attention to URL domain types.
.com = company
.gov = government website
.edu = educational institution
.org = organization
Example: If you are searching for parks and you include .gov as a keyword, you should
receive government websites in your results. If you are searching for parks and you include
.com as a keyword, you should receive results that are companies related to parks.
7. Specify the format of the information you're looking for.
Many search engines will allow you to search exclusively for images, videos, news, blogs,
or even scholarly articles. Different types of information will help you in different ways.
Example: If you search for military service, the following information will tell you
different things:
Blogs: People’s opinions about military service.
Video: Videos related to military service. Some might be made uploaded by anyone,
while others might be created by news outlets, organizations, or the government.
News: The latest news articles and stories related to military service.
8. Use advanced search options on a search engine.
You can often specify dates, exact words you’re looking for, or even languages you want in
your results in search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, or Bing.
9. Once you have your search results, use them!
Searches enable you to access the huge store of information on the Web, so take some
time to see what’s out there! Don’t just look at the first results, and don’t rely only on
familiar sources like Wikipedia or About.com.
Directions
Use the following searching strategies to conduct an effective and
efficient online search.
1. Use multiple, specific, descriptive keywords for narrower results.
Example: Searching for concerts will lead to a variety of musical events, ticket purchasing
opportunities, and tour dates. Searching for underground hip-hop shows Bay Area will
lead to narrower, location-based results.
2. If at first you don't succeed, try synonyms.
Example: If you’ve tried searching for rare cats but haven’t found what you are looking for,
try searching for exotic cats, rare felines, or exotic felines.
3. Place quotation marks around specific words or specific places you're looking for.
Example: If you want information on the president’s residence, search on “White House”
rather than white house.
4. Add a minus sign before a word to show that you don't want that one included.
Example: If you are searching for mullet but you want the fish and not the hairstyle, you
would enter: mullet -hair
5. Look for two words at once by placing OR between them.
Example: If you want information on Cornell but you’re not sure whether it’s a college or a
university, search on Cornell College OR University. (Note: the OR has to be capitalized!)
6. Search for and pay attention to URL domain types.
.com = company
.gov = government website
.edu = educational institution
.org = organization
Example: If you are searching for parks and you include .gov as a keyword, you should
receive government websites in your results. If you are searching for parks and you include
.com as a keyword, you should receive results that are companies related to parks.
7. Specify the format of the information you're looking for.
Many search engines will allow you to search exclusively for images, videos, news, blogs,
or even scholarly articles. Different types of information will help you in different ways.
Example: If you search for military service, the following information will tell you
different things:
Blogs: People’s opinions about military service.
Video: Videos related to military service. Some might be made uploaded by anyone,
while others might be created by news outlets, organizations, or the government.
News: The latest news articles and stories related to military service.
8. Use advanced search options on a search engine.
You can often specify dates, exact words you’re looking for, or even languages you want in
your results in search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, or Bing.
9. Once you have your search results, use them!
Searches enable you to access the huge store of information on the Web, so take some
time to see what’s out there! Don’t just look at the first results, and don’t rely only on
familiar sources like Wikipedia or About.com.
SEARCH for your topic
Directions
Fill out the sections below to plan your search. Then write down the
location you chose.
Select research questions. (What question(s) do you have? Write the question(s) below.)
Extract keywords and terms. (Be broad or specific, depending on your goals. Use synonyms, and
apply some of the strategies you learned. Write your keywords below.)
Apply search strategies. (What search strategies will help you find the information you need?
Write down your keywords with search strategies applied.)
Run your search. (Search using the terms that you chose and look at the results. Remember to check
out several sources.)
CHart your search. (Keep track of what you searched for and where, so that you don’t repeat work.
Jot down what you searched for and where you searched for it.)
Fill out the sections below to plan your search. Then write down the
location you chose.
Select research questions. (What question(s) do you have? Write the question(s) below.)
Extract keywords and terms. (Be broad or specific, depending on your goals. Use synonyms, and
apply some of the strategies you learned. Write your keywords below.)
Apply search strategies. (What search strategies will help you find the information you need?
Write down your keywords with search strategies applied.)
Run your search. (Search using the terms that you chose and look at the results. Remember to check
out several sources.)
CHart your search. (Keep track of what you searched for and where, so that you don’t repeat work.
Jot down what you searched for and where you searched for it.)
Score Your Site
Directions
Read each question below. Decide which answer is right for your website. Circle the number. Add up the numbers to determine the reliability of your site, the higher the better.
Can the author be trusted?
Is the authors name clear? 1 cannot find it 2 hard to find 3 easy to find
What males the author an expert? 1 no information given 2 author’s title given 3 background about author given
Grammar or spelling errors? 1 many errors 2 one or two errors 3 no errors
Can you contact the author? 1 no contact information given 2 email address given 3 email and postal address given
Will this site have the information I need?
Is the information useful? 1 not useful 2 might be useful 3 sure to be useful
Would you bookmark the site for future use? 1 not worth bookmarking 2 might bookmark 3 would definitely bookmark
Is this site up to date?
Can you find the date when the site was created? 1 cannot find a date 2 the date was hard to find 3 the date was easy to find
When was the site last revised? 1 cannot find a date 2 last revised more than six months ago 3 last revised in the past six months
Do the links work? 1 many dead links 2 one or two dead links 3 all links work
Is this a good research site for students?
Is the site easy to navigate? 1 keep getting lost 2 have some trouble finding my way around 3 very easy to find my way around
Is there useful information for students? 1 few parts seem useful for students 2 N/A 3 most of the site seems useful for students
Read each question below. Decide which answer is right for your website. Circle the number. Add up the numbers to determine the reliability of your site, the higher the better.
Can the author be trusted?
Is the authors name clear? 1 cannot find it 2 hard to find 3 easy to find
What males the author an expert? 1 no information given 2 author’s title given 3 background about author given
Grammar or spelling errors? 1 many errors 2 one or two errors 3 no errors
Can you contact the author? 1 no contact information given 2 email address given 3 email and postal address given
Will this site have the information I need?
Is the information useful? 1 not useful 2 might be useful 3 sure to be useful
Would you bookmark the site for future use? 1 not worth bookmarking 2 might bookmark 3 would definitely bookmark
Is this site up to date?
Can you find the date when the site was created? 1 cannot find a date 2 the date was hard to find 3 the date was easy to find
When was the site last revised? 1 cannot find a date 2 last revised more than six months ago 3 last revised in the past six months
Do the links work? 1 many dead links 2 one or two dead links 3 all links work
Is this a good research site for students?
Is the site easy to navigate? 1 keep getting lost 2 have some trouble finding my way around 3 very easy to find my way around
Is there useful information for students? 1 few parts seem useful for students 2 N/A 3 most of the site seems useful for students
How to Cite a Site
MLA style
Online Newspaper and Magazine Articles
Most of these sites are connected to printed newspapers and magazines. However, there are more and
more magazines that are only published online. Here’s a bibliography citation for a magazine article
that you found online:
Here’s how you would create the citation:
.
Author of article Article title Website, newspaper, or magazine title Publisher Date the article was published
(last name, then (followed by a period, (italicized, followed by a period) (followed by a period)
first name, followed all inside quotation
by a period) marks)
Plasket, Kelli. “The Gassy Dinosaur Effect.” Time for Kids. Time Inc., 09 May 2012.
Web. 27 Aug. 2012. <http://www.timeforkids.com/news/gassy-dinosaur-effect/38946>.
"Web" shows that Date you accessed the URL of the specific page you used (in angled brackets followed
you found it online article online by a period)
This is what it would look like
Plasket, Kelli. “The Gassy Dinosaur Effect.” Time for Kids. Time Inc., 09 May 2012. Web. 27 Aug. 2012.
<http://www.timeforkids.com/news/gassy-dinosaur-effect/38946>.
Professional Websites
Professional sites include those put on the Web by schools, universities, governments, museums,
organizations, and companies. Here’s a bibliography citation for a professional site:
Here’s how you would create the citation:
Website title Name of organization sponsoring the site Date the site was last revised
(followed by a period)
NASA Education. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 22 Aug. 2012
Web. 08 Sep. 2012. <http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/index.html>.
“Web” shows Date you visited the site URL of the specific page you used
that you found (followed by a period) (in angle brackets, followed by a period)
it online
This is what it looks like
NASA Education. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 22 Aug. 2012. Web. 08 Sep. 2012.
<http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/index.html>.
Online Newspaper and Magazine Articles
Most of these sites are connected to printed newspapers and magazines. However, there are more and
more magazines that are only published online. Here’s a bibliography citation for a magazine article
that you found online:
Here’s how you would create the citation:
.
Author of article Article title Website, newspaper, or magazine title Publisher Date the article was published
(last name, then (followed by a period, (italicized, followed by a period) (followed by a period)
first name, followed all inside quotation
by a period) marks)
Plasket, Kelli. “The Gassy Dinosaur Effect.” Time for Kids. Time Inc., 09 May 2012.
Web. 27 Aug. 2012. <http://www.timeforkids.com/news/gassy-dinosaur-effect/38946>.
"Web" shows that Date you accessed the URL of the specific page you used (in angled brackets followed
you found it online article online by a period)
This is what it would look like
Plasket, Kelli. “The Gassy Dinosaur Effect.” Time for Kids. Time Inc., 09 May 2012. Web. 27 Aug. 2012.
<http://www.timeforkids.com/news/gassy-dinosaur-effect/38946>.
Professional Websites
Professional sites include those put on the Web by schools, universities, governments, museums,
organizations, and companies. Here’s a bibliography citation for a professional site:
Here’s how you would create the citation:
Website title Name of organization sponsoring the site Date the site was last revised
(followed by a period)
NASA Education. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 22 Aug. 2012
Web. 08 Sep. 2012. <http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/index.html>.
“Web” shows Date you visited the site URL of the specific page you used
that you found (followed by a period) (in angle brackets, followed by a period)
it online
This is what it looks like
NASA Education. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 22 Aug. 2012. Web. 08 Sep. 2012.
<http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/index.html>.
Four Types of Fair Use
Directions
These lists will help you figure out whether or not a creative work is fair use. The first column lists the situations in which fair use can be applied.
Each point of the first column lists a certain way that you can use copyrighted work for fair use. If a creative work falls into at least one of the
situations in the first list, and if it fulfills one of the criteria in the second list, there’s a good chance it’s fair use! Use the lists to help you decide
whether the case studies you view are fair use.
Fair Use: The ability to use copyrighted work without permission, but only in certain ways and in
specific situations (schoolwork and education, news reporting, criticizing
or commenting on something, and comedy/parody).
List 1 List 2
Schoolwork and education Use a small amount
News reporting Rework and use in a different way
Criticizing or commenting Add new meaning and make it original
Comedy and parody Use for nonprofit purpose
DIGITAL LITERACY AND CITIZENSHIP IN A CONNECTED CULTURE
© 2012 www.commonsense.org
These lists will help you figure out whether or not a creative work is fair use. The first column lists the situations in which fair use can be applied.
Each point of the first column lists a certain way that you can use copyrighted work for fair use. If a creative work falls into at least one of the
situations in the first list, and if it fulfills one of the criteria in the second list, there’s a good chance it’s fair use! Use the lists to help you decide
whether the case studies you view are fair use.
Fair Use: The ability to use copyrighted work without permission, but only in certain ways and in
specific situations (schoolwork and education, news reporting, criticizing
or commenting on something, and comedy/parody).
List 1 List 2
Schoolwork and education Use a small amount
News reporting Rework and use in a different way
Criticizing or commenting Add new meaning and make it original
Comedy and parody Use for nonprofit purpose
DIGITAL LITERACY AND CITIZENSHIP IN A CONNECTED CULTURE
© 2012 www.commonsense.org