Ask yourself:    Where are all the places I can find information?
                       What are all the ways I can find information?
 

What are all the possible sources of information I can use?
    Brainstorm about the information sources you might use. For ideas, click here to visit an example of a resource list. It may contain sources you haven't considered.

 What are the best sources for my problem or question?
     After you've taken a look at several sources, stop to think about which ones will give you the kind of information that you need. You will find that there are many resources beyond the Internet that offer good information. Although we all love to click around in cyberspace, don't forget to use magazines, newspapers, books, people, videos, and references materials, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other written materials files your library might have.

Hot Tip: Talk to your librarian
about specialized materials your library has available!

    Each library has a different collection, so be sure to check your school and local public libraries.

Which sources are best for you?
     Sorry to say, we can't tell you! It all depends -- and a source that works for you today may not work for your next project. Good researchers need to be very flexible!  Don't give up and try not to get upset if you run into a lot of dead ends. That's just the way it goes sometimes. Take a deep breath, take a break from your project, and come back later when you're feeling refreshed.
    The best sources for your project are the sources that actually answer your questions.  You might have to look in all of them before you find your answers. And in some cases, you will look everywhere you can think of and you still may not have the answers you want. Remember to talk to your teacher about any problems you have with your research. Sometimes just talking through the problem unlocks the  to a new adventure !
 
 

How do I search for information on the Internet?

  Even though we all love the Internet, it is not the only place to find information, and sometimes it's not even the best place to find good information. Searching on the Internet can be frustrating and time-consuming, so it's best to know all you can about the search process before you begin.

Hot Tip: You do not search the web by making up URLs or by surfing.

                               If that's what you've been doing,  wasting your time!

    So, let's talk about URLs. URL is the abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is an internet address. Just like the address of your house helps people find its location on a street in a town, the URL helps people locate a web site on the Internet.
     URLs must have a domain name. The most common one we've all heard is "dot com or .com. " Don't be fooled into thinking you can put any words in front of .com and find a good web site.  First, that's a time waster. Second, you may stumble into some really inappropriate places. And, most importantly, all sites do not use the .com domain.

Hot Tip:  Everything in cyberspace is not a .com

    An Internet domain name is an organization's unique name. Outside of the U.S., domain names typically include the country code; for example, uk for United Kingdom or au for Australia. An example of how these URLs look is: http://www.kangaroosRcute.au/ (This is not a link, just an example)
 
 

These are the most common domains:
                    .com    commercial
                      .net    gateway or host (network)
                      .org    non-profit organization
                      .edu    educational and research
                      .gov    government
                      .mil    military agency
 

Why do I need to know about domain names?
  Good question! Understanding the domain name system will help you decide whether the information is accurate. It also may explain why someone's web site has strange information or why their spelling is wierd - Australian, English, and Canadian spellings don't always look like American spellings, even though we're all using the English language.
    Remember, web sites contain opinions, and opinions are not facts. Check your sources. You're likely to find accurate information on .edu sites since they are from schools and universities. But even then, double check! Just because a 6th grader posts a page on his school's web site does not mean that all the information (and the spelling!) is correct.
    "Dot gov" is the domain reserved only for government sites. Any time you're looking for information about the United States government, go to a .gov site. Every part of our government has a .gov page, and they have lots of interesting info for students. Try The Department of Justice's Kid's Page or NASA to see what's up on Earth and in space.

    The .org sites can be very helpful, especially when they're libraries or non-profit organizations that put educational information on the web. Remember, though, that all "organizations" are not full of nice people with nice ideas. You will get very different information from different kinds of organizations. It may be interesting, but it may not be accurate, so you still need to identify whose site it is and what their purposes are for posting this information.
    The .com domain is for businesses and general purposes. Anyone in any country can have a .com address. That does not mean that the person who wrote the web site has posted true information. It also means the site may be trying to sell you something. Be careful, but don't ignore .com sites because  frequently they contain tons of good information.
    The more domain name information you have, the quicker you can get to the part of the site you want to use. That's especially true with large web sites. For example, the Internet Public Library has a home page at:

Hot Tip: Look around the site to find the name of the person, business, or organization who wrote the site. It's frequently at the top or bottom of the home page. If you can't find any information to identify the page, think twice about using the information there!
 
 

The best way to search is to become a wiz at Internet searches.
Click on the wizard to be magically transported to the  Alphabet Superhighway page.
At that site, click on this button:
 
 

Click here to send e-mail to a school librarian who will answer your questions about Internet searches.