Week 7 - UPC0004 *5 references meant to be numbers*

Lecture:

In this weeks lecture we were taken through the advantages of using endnote to reference our work. We were taken through:

• What endnote is - a reference manager and a bibliography maker.


• Why we use endnote - keeps track of growning number of references.

Tutorial:

Task 1:

In this weeks tutorial we were taken through, step-by-step, how to use endnote. We were asked to review the online referencing guide and include five different types of electronic format material, including:

1. Web Pages -
   Technical specifications (iPhone). [n.d.] Retrieved November, 2007, from Apple: http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html
   
2. Wiki -
   Bindeez. (n.d.) Retrieved November 24, 2007, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bindeez


3. Periodical -
   VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates [Electronic version]. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123


4. Article only in an Internet Journal -
   Fredrickson, B. L. (2000, March 7). Cultivating positive emotions to optimise health and well-being. Prevention & Treatment, 3, Article 0001a. Retrieved November 20, 2000, from http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/pre0030001a.html


5. Non-periodical -
   Greater New Milford (Ct) Area Healthy Community 2000, Task Force on Teen and Adolescent Issues. (n.d.). Who has time for a family meal? You do! Retrieved October 5, 2000, from http:www.familymealtime.org

Task 2:

How to use end note:

1. Firstly we were asked to open the "cite while you write" document from blackboard:


2. Then we had to comlete the exercise, in that we had to follow the instructions and copy and paste text from other documents and reference them via the end note application:


3. We then had to open a second document from blackboard; "end note exercise for vista"

1. This exercise involved us having to find information from various links and reference them to the APA 5th, ECU standard:

Week 6 - UPC0004 *bullet points for 10 C's meant to be numbers*

Lecture:

This weeks lecture was about evaluating the authenticity of websites.

When evaluating the authenticity of a website it is important to consider the following issues:

• Anyone can publish anything on the web.


• Web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers


• No web standards exhist to ensure accuracy.


• Sponsorship isn't usually indicated.


• Goals of the sponsors are not stated.


• Publication or revision dates are not provided.

When evaluating the authenticity of a website u must consider the following questions:

• Is the information reliable and error free?


• Is there an editor or somone to checks/varifies the information?


• Is there an author? Is the author qualified?


• Who is the sponsor? Is the sponsor reputable?


• Is there a link for information on the author or the sponsor?


• Is there anyway to determine where the information came from?


• Biass?


• Is the page persuasive towards one argument?


• Is there advertising?


• Is the page dated? When?


• How current is the information?

Tutorial:

Task 1:

In this weeks tutorial we were asked to look at

http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html

This website goes through authentication techniques. In that it offers guidelines in which you can follow to better uncover weather or not the website you are using for oyur research is authentic. It offers tips such as:

• Make sure you are in the rite place.


• When in doubt, doubt.


• Consider the source.


• Know whats happening.


• Look at detail.


• Distinguish web pages from pages found on the web.

The website also reccomend that when researching information, to consider:

• Authority - who are the authors and what gives them authority to write?


• Accuracy - is there good reason to trust the information presented on the site?
  
• Objectivity - what is the authors point if view?
  
• Currency - when was the information originally published and has it been updated?


• Coverage - does the site address the topic you are researching?


• Value - was the page worth visiting?

Task 2:

We were then asked to compare the information from the first website to that of http://www.taftcollege.edu/newTC/Academic/INCO48/sec6-4.htm

This website reccomended that we:

• Look at the domain name, ie - .com, .org, .gov etc...


• Who the author is.


• Why this page is on the world wide web.


• Look for the last time this page was updated.


• Remember the ten "C's" -

1. Content


2. Credibility


3. Critical thinking
   
4. Copyright
   
5. Citation


6. Continuity


7. Censorship


8. Connectivity


9. Comparability


10. Context
    

Task 3:

We were then asked to complete the "Relieveing the Sixties: Web Site Evaluation Assignment" from http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think60.html

We were ased to look at the accuracy, authorship, purpose, detail and design and overall worth of two of the areas that the web site explores.

• Accuracy - The information is accurate as the information presented coincides with information I have checked with other sources.
  


• Authorship - The author of each page is indicated below the text in which they have published.

• Purpose - The publisher of this web site has no monitary gain from the public use of their site. Therefore the information is for educational purposes only.


• Detail and design - The site has an easy to use interface and navigation throughout is simple.


• Overall worth - Being that the information is factual and trustrworthy, the layout and design is userfliendly, I believe that the web site is extremele worthy of use for anyone wishing to research information on life in the 1960's.

Week 5 - UPC0004

Lecture:

In this weeks lecture we went through using search engines to a university standard. We were told that there are basically three catagories of information on the web:

1. Free visible web,


2. Free invisible web,


3. Paid databases over the web.

In the lecture we were told thatsearch engines are a web based aplication that looks through teh internet, creating indecies for websites. We were also mada aware of the two main catagories of search engines:

1. Search engines


2. Directories

Examples of such include:

• http://www.google.com/


• http://www.yahoo.com/


• http://www.altavista.com/


• http://www.alltheweb.com/

We were also made aware of the problems with using search engines when researching information:

• Results are vast


• Results are too broard


• Alot of the information is invalid due to the "ranking" system.

As well as being introduced to search engines we were introduced to online directories. Online directories are human edited, meaning that they are reviewed and added by through manual subscription. And prior to being published on the internet, directories are proof read and edited by a seperate being. This makes online directories a lot more trust worthy taht search engines.

Examples of directories include:

• http://dmoz.org/


• http://directory.google.com/


• http://dir.yahoo.com/


• http://www.looksmart.com/


• http://www.about.com/

Tutorial:

Task 1:

This weeks tutorial was all abvout using the web to find reliable and trustworthy information. We were asked to visit http://www.monash.com/spidap.html and find four useful search techniques:

1. Search using directories as they are human edited and managed, they are also updated more frequently


2. Refine the search, excluding certain words


3. Use "quotation" marks aoround key words


4. Only use key words when searching, so as to exclude common words such as "and, or, but, the..."

Task 2:

In our tutorial we were asked to put our information gathering skills to the test, using online directries we had been given in the lecture, topartake in an online quiz:

http://www.siteseen.co.uk/questions/historytrivia/

Stratagies I used to complete the online quiz:

• Used two directories - http://directory.google.com/ and http://dir.yahoo.com/


• Only used keywords, such as "Albert Einstein"


• Used symbolys to refine my search "Albert Einstein + birth date"


• Used inverted commas "&" to further refine my search.

Through this weeks tutorial I have learnt how to better and more efficiently search for information on the internet. Without having learnt what I have, I would still be using basic and inaccurate searching meathods. Using these techniques will help me throughout my university career.

Extra Reading:

In this weeks extra reading we were asked to read about internet search tips from:

http://www.virtualsalt.com/howlook.htm

This website explores how we as students should approach searching for information on the internet. Such as "how can I find what I want?" and "how can I know that what I find is any good?" As well as offering tips on how to effectively search the internet, including:

• Using keyword searches - This search will find any pages containing any of the words you have specified.


• Using phrase searches - pages with only the words you have specified in that particular order with no words inbetween them.


• Using boolean operators - using "and, or, not and occasionally near" to expand or contract search.


• Using several searching tools - due to constant indexing, some will find material that others wont.


• Read the search tips or help informationat each search engine - you will learn how to perform more sophisticated searches.


• Use several words - refines search.


• Guess a location - the URL of a website is often guessable.


• Think about what you want - facts, opinions etc...


• Back up to find where you are - look at the address to find out where abouts you are in the website itself.

We were also asked to visit:

http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/history/ivh/chap4.htm

This website took us through:

• The begining of the internet - 1990 first search engine capable of finding and retrieving computer files.


• How to find information on the internet - various stratagies on finding valid information quickly and efficiently.


• Directories - are lists of site chosen by human-beings.
  
• Search engines - comparable to the indexes of books.


• Databases - system set up to find online journal articles.


• Library catalogues - best way of finding printed information, used to locate books, journals and working papers.

Our third extra reading task was on "search engine optimisation" the reprot goes through keyword analysis, setting your benchmark, search engine optimisaton itself, link popularity and measuring your progress. All of these points make researching information easier as they effect the way websites and the search engines themselves are constructed.

The last piece of extra reading we were asked to read was about websites with a guide. The website suggested was a mobile phone website, promoting a phone service that gave you any information you desired (within reason). Information such as where the nearest pet store is from your particular location. This website has a guide as to how to use the service itself as well as how to use the website.