ITIS 1210
Introduction to Web-Based
Information Systems
Internet Research Three
Browsing Subject Guides
Introduction
 Subject guides
 aka subject directories, Internet directories,
subject trees
 Subject guides
 Help focus searches
 Useful if your knowledge of the subject is too
limited to judge the results you get from
regular search engines
 Group information by topic
 Lets you see both breadth and depth
Introduction
 Browse by “drilling down”
 Navigate through hierarchical subject
headings
 Upper levels are general
 Lower levels more and more specific
 Some permit keyword searches also
Understanding Subject Guides
 Data typically compiled and arranged by
experts
 Offers greater selectivity and quality of data
 But less coverage than regular search
engines
 Emphasis on quality not quantity
 Links may be annotated with useful
information
Understanding Subject Guides
 Subject guide resource:
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/weblio.html
 Librarians’ Index to the Internet: www.lii.org
 Click a bold topic to see a list of sub-topics
 Click a non-bold topic to see a list of Web pages
about that topic
Understanding Subject Guides
 Searchable
 UC Berkeley
 http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Subj
Directories.html
 infomine.ucr.edu
 Annotations
 Summaries or reviews of Web page content
 Usually written by a subject guide contributors
 Typically an expert in the field
 http://www.lii.org/pub/topic/webdesign
Understanding Subject Guides
 Distributed subject guides
 WWW Virtual Library - http://vlib.org/
 Open Directory Project - http://dmoz.org/
 Created by contributors working
independently
 Each group/person responsible for a
subtopic
Understanding Subject Guides
 Not stored on one computer
 Distributed to different computers around the
Web
 Many independent contributors have
 Different levels of expertise
 Varying resources
 May make distributed subject guides of
uneven quality and show lack of
standardization
Understanding Subject Guides
 Maintenance by experts
 Balances problems with quality
 They know best what’s available on the Web
 Topics may be organized differently
between different guides
 “energy” under “Science” in one, under
“Engineering” in another
Understanding Subject Guides
 Searchable subject guides typically search
only their own data
Understanding Subject Guides
 Trailblazer pages
 Created by scholars and experts
 Trying to organize and link to the best Web
sites in their field
 Excellent source for reliable information
 May be broad or narrow in scope
 All trying to cover their topic well
Understanding Subject Guides
 Usually provides
 Links to useful sites
 Logical way of navigating subject
 May provide
 Search capability
 Site map
 Example: EERE
Understanding Subject Guides
 Trailblazer pages
 Example: http://www.eere.energy.gov/
Specialized Search Engines
 Specialized search engines
 Best features of regular search engines
 Subject guides
 Limit the Web pages they search for
 Available for
 Law
 Medicine
 Technology
Specialized Search Engines
 Where do you find specialized search
engines?
 http://webquest.sdsu.edu/searching/specialized.html
Evaluation Criteria
 Standards to determine if a Web page is
appropriate for your needs
 How does Web information get to you?
 Directly from author
 Via an editorial process
 Online journals
 Recommended
 Search engine
Authority
Objectivity
& Accuracy
Organization
Appropriate
Currency
Scope
Evaluation Criteria
 Authority (credibility/reliability)
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Is the author identified?
Are their qualifications identified?
Are resources documented?
Is there contact information for the author(s)?
Is the author associated with
 University
 Organization
 Government agency
Evaluation Criteria
 Organization (appearance vs. content)
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Is site well designed, functional?
Easy to navigate?
Searchable?
Site map or Help page?
Evaluation Criteria
 Scope (range of topics)
 Who is the intended audience?
 Students, professionals, amateurs?
 Introduction explaining purpose of site?
 Is scope appropriate for your needs?
 Too broad
 Too narrow
Evaluation Criteria
 Currency (timeliness)
 Creation/revision date?
 Broken links
 Not being maintained
Evaluation Criteria
 Objectivity & accuracy
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Advocacy is OK if revealed
Does author state purpose of site?
Content presented as fact or opinion?
Are resources well documented?
Host of site identified?
What do other sites say about this site or its
author?