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How To Find Good Health Information Online

March 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A recent poll showed that over 88% of adults turn to the internet to find health information. This number is huge and it keeps rising. Just a few years ago there were less than 60 million adults that searched the internet looking for information about their symptoms, that number has now risen to over 180 million.

While it is important to be informed about what is going on, it is also important to make sure you are getting the right information. We all know that the web is full of information from people who do not necessarily know what they are talking about. There are many user contributed websites out there they you could use as a starting point, but never rely on them for the correct information.

Reading to much information on the internet can also send people into an unnecessary panic about their symptoms. You may think you have a disease just because you have symptoms that are similar to what you are reading about. It may also may lead you to believe you don’t have a disease when you actually do since symptoms can be different for different people.

There is good information available from respected medical facilities such as New York University and The Mayo Clinic. You can also use the website for the CDC as a reference, but never substitute your online research for an actual doctors visit. Even if you think you have diagnosed what you may have, you should always follow your own research with an old fashioned trip to your doctor.

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Tips for Getting the Most out of a Search on Bing

February 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Bing is working very hard to capture its portion of the search engine market share. It has some good features and is a good alternative to other search engines that have been around for a while. If you are looking for ways to get the most out of your Bing search read these tips.

  • Use the summary. If you hover your mouse on the right side of the page you will see a summary of the results page. You don’t have to click on the result to get a good idea of whether or not it is what you need.
  • Use the related searches. The left side of your page on Bing will give you a list of relates search terms. Bing does a good job of changing it up enough to give you some different ideas that can be helpful.
  • Best match. This feature will give you the best match possible for your query.
  • Save your search. You can easily save a particular search in Bing. On the left side of your page you can also quickly see your search history. This is a good feature for when you find a result you have been looking for but can’t remember the keywords you used to get it.
  • Preview Videos. If you hover your mouse over video results you can get a preview of the video without having to actually click on it. This feature makes finding the video you really want to see quick and easy.
  • Bing at a glance. Click on this link and it will bring you to all the different search types Bing offers. Search for just shopping results, images, dictionaries, or social media.
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Finding Academic Sources Online

February 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The first place many people turn these days when they need to find information is the internet. This is the case for not only general users, but also college students who are researching papers for their classes. The internet is full of good information, but finding good sources for academic papers can be difficult. If you can’t get to the library to talk to a reference librarian, here is the next best thing you can do.

Even though there are great search engines out there with tons of information, the majority of academic journals do not put their articles online without requiring some kind of payment. When you do a general search you will probably not have much luck finding these.

The best way to go about finding them is to access the database from a library. You can try your local library or a library in your state to start. They will quite often buy the subscriptions needed to access certain journals so you can see them online without having to go to the library itself.

You can start by accessing the home page of the library. Look for some kind of link that will get you to either periodicals or databases. From here you can choose the database that you need. The best resources are journals that have been peer reviewed. You can narrow your search by choosing to search specific types of databases.

Just like with any other search engine you can broaden your search term or narrow it down to get more of what you need. Keep in mind that you may not find exactly what you are looking for since it quite often takes time for these types of articles to be published. The information you find may not be as up to date and current as what you are looking for.

If you can’t find exactly what you need you can try other library databases, or combine what you do find with other resources. The important thing is to put enough time in researching, but not so much that it is a waste of time.

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Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most Out of an Internet Search

December 13, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Getting what you need from a search on a search engine can sometimes be very frustrating. Even when you think you are entering in the right information to get relevant results, users are often left with millions of hits that will not answer their questions.

If you are in the same boat as many others who want to get the results they need without having to search though pages of information, there are a few things you can do to narrow down your results and help your search along. These tips may only help some of the time, and it is important to keep in mind that sometimes just entering a simple query is your best option. The variations that the search engine may offer can sometimes be helpful if you are not looking for something very specific.

If you put double quotations around your phrase, this tells the search engine to search for the exact words in the order that you have put them. This will yield only results exactly as you have stated them. You can also search for a specific website by putting in (site:). This is helpful if you want to only look at specific types of websites such as .gov sites, or .edu sites. It will filter out other types of URL’s.

You can also exclude certain results by putting a minus sign before a word. In order for this to be effective there needs to be a space before the minus sign. If there is not a space the search engine will treat it as a hyphen. You can exclude as many words as you want within a phrase as long as you keep putting the space and the minus sign.

The (*) sign can be used as a way to ask the search engine to provide information. When this sign is used it is treated as an unknown and the search engine will provide possible matches.

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Finding Credible Resources Online

December 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Having the Internet to use as a resource guide is like having the world’s largest encyclopedia at hand. Using this great resource for research is nearly everyone’s first choice. You can find sites that contain genealogy records, sites that will help with home work and book reports, statistics on financial issues, real estate sites and everything else you can possibly think of. Using the Internet can be a lifesaver, but how do you know for sure that the resources you are using are credible?

One thing to keep in mind is that anyone can post anything on the Internet, which does not mean that the information is positively accurate. Unreliable sources are a dime a dozen. By using a keyword that pertains to the information you are seeking, you may come up with millions of resource articles on that subject.

One way to be slightly more sure that the information you are reading is accurate and up to date, is to check into sites that are run by large schools, colleges or even the government. Newspapers that have online websites can be a great reliable source of information also. Websites that are government run can provide quite a bit of information on things such as current statistics and cover a large number of topics including health issues, food and drug recalls, even the weather forecast.

When possible, double check any information for accuracy. This can be done by looking into other websites that offer similar information, or by going to an actual library and checking the reference material there. Many university’s offer college subjects online that are kept up to date daily by students. Watch for material that may be outdated, especially if you are writing an article for a report or homework. Check to see when the article was written and if it seems old, seek a more current one. Common sense goes a long way when finding credible resources online.

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How to Use Online Resources and Search Engines to Find Employment

December 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Using online resources and search engines are a great way to look for potential employment opportunities. Because many companies post their job openings on their websites, it is more convenient to check out the site to see if the type of job you are seeking is available at a specific company.

Using a search engine to find employment is being utilized by more and more potential employees every day. The days of trying to reach someone in an office from nine to five are a thing of the past. By using a search engine to find the company you would like to be hired by, you can see exactly what openings they have at any time of the day or night, at your own convenience.

Knowing how to utilize the Web in your job hunt is important. It enables you to reach the site you want to read quickly. Using online resources also helps by showing you where the company has job openings, in case you are considering relocating. Checking into smaller businesses is a plus too, because even the smallest shops usually have a webpage that provides details about employment opportunities.

Filling out an application online also shows that you have computer knowledge, which in this day and age is vitally important in most circumstances. Knowing your way around the computer and the Internet may boost your chances of being hired for the exact job you are seeking.

If you have a particular company or business that you are interested in, you can use a search engine to type in the name of the business, and then in turn, you are usually taken directly to that website. If you are seeking new employment by the keywords of your profession, it may be somewhat harder to get it narrowed down, unless you look on your States employment registry. Many employment sites post job openings online as they come in, which means the information is kept current.

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Being Careful with Online Research

December 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment
One of the biggest mistakes that many new researchers make is to use websites on the Internet that have little to no reliability for information. These sites are often open forums where anyone can submit information and anyone else can add to or change it. The information can often come from good sources, but may have a strong twist in the presentation or have outdated information. When you are working online, it is extremely important that you use sources that have excellent credibility.
One of the best places to find solid information on most things is to use government websites. The Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Library of Congress and the National Park Service all have excellent websites that are loaded with credible and reviewed data. The information is also primarily free to access, making it easier for you to find what you need.  You can go to the FileZilla server and download filezilla which is a FTP software and then use the FileZilla FTP program to transfer the free files to your computer for your research.  These websites are also held to a higher standard than those that just allow anyone to add information to them.
Institutions of higher learning are another excellent source, as colleges and universities conduct professional and in-depth research into various topics you will come across. They have a wide variety of information on topics ranging from psychology, engineering, education and agriculture. You also may be able to access resources through the institution’s library. Private organizations can be another excellent source of information for your research. For example, if you are writing about education you can visit various state department of education websites that have links to teacher resources and research.
The important thing to remember when researching online is to look for sites that have peer-reviewed research, have stringent policies for submissions of information and have a strong reputation. Using these types of sources will help to make your work more credible and help you get it right the first time.
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Finding Military Research on the Internet

December 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

One of the best subjects to research online is military history, as there are hundreds of sources available. You do have to be careful where you look, as you want to find the information that contains various points of view and the most up-to-date data. Most people often do not realize that each branch of the military has its own group of historians. They also have a website dedicated to the branch’s history, which are chock full of unit information, training manuals and pictures that you can use in your work.

One of the most interesting and prominent sources of information for military research are the museums that are on bases. Their websites are loaded with links to areas of specific interest, such as gas warfare, weaponry, specific battles and history on prominent individuals. These websites are stringently monitored and well-run, making them very good sources for information.

Another excellent spot to look online is the Smithsonian, which has online viewing galleries of military exhibits, access to numerous documents and links to outside sources that are very reliable. Not far down the street from the Smithsonian is the Library of Congress, which has an exceptional website that is designed for both research and enjoyment. You can find various articles, links and stores of sources that you would normally have to travel to look through.

There are also some credible sites that allow you to watch old footage taken during military operations and training exercises. These are excellent for getting a different perspective on what you are researching and see people actually doing what you have been reading about. Many of these sites, including military ones, will have a list of links and a reading list that can help you find the research that you need. These sources will also lead you to information that you can cite with confidence and credibility.

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How to Get Started Researching Online

December 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

You have a topic that you need to research, but trolling through the vast array of sites that will come up on a search engine can seem daunting. It does not have to be this way if you prepare before you get online. The first thing you should do is sit down and brainstorm a list of keywords that have to do with your topic. The trick with keywords is that you do not want to make them too broad in scope. For example, if you are researching the second world war, typing in World War II is way too broad. You want to narrow down exactly what part of that overall topic you are searching for. This reduces the number of hits you will get.

The other thing that you need to do is keep in mind what sites are the best to use. You want to stay away from using sites such as Wikipedia or other open submission sites as primary references. The information can often be misquoted or not entirely correct, but these are excellent places to start to find sources and good keywords. Your best sites to aim for are museums, military, government, colleges and reputable organizations. This will help you to ensure that the information you are citing is of the highest quality.

The other important thing is to know how to properly cite the research that you find and use. Depending on what type of writing you are doing, there are numerous manuals available that can help you to correctly give credit to the source of the information. You can often find these manuals online or sites that can help you to cite the information directly.

By sitting down and brainstorming keywords, knowing what sites are the best ones to use and how to properly cite your sources, you will be able to do your research efficiently and effectively.

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