02 Searching is Simple (Information Research)
Description
This article is from the Information Research FAQ, by David Novak david@spireproject.com with numerous contributions by others.
02 Searching is Simple (Information Research)
Searching is simple. It starts with a question. It ends with an answer.
Everything between is searching. Much of it has to do with the tools
you use. Select the right tool and you can get to the answer almost by
default. Luckily, for any given topic there tends to be just a handful
of must-use tools. For more complicated questions, there are usually
plenty of people to ask for assistance.
The answers you are seeking will be found in a selection of different
formats. In this I mean books, articles, interviews, and more. This is
a very convenient concept and forms the foundation to all our work both
here and in the Spire Project. Few research tools cover more than a
single format; those that do, tend to cover each format poorly. Start a
search by selecting the specific format you are seeking. Then, select
your preferred search tool from a small collection specific to that
format. To get the information, simply follow through and read, search
or interview. Everything follows naturally.
Have a Question.
Select a Format.
Select a Search Tool.
There are just a few formats to consider.
Books
. . . . . Dense, factual, comprehensive and a minimum of 6 months to a
year old.
Articles
. . . . . Shorter than books but focused on one topic.
News
. . . . . Short and shallow. Immediate.
Statistics
. . . . . Factual. More reliable.
Theses
. . . . . Very thick. Deeply researched. Esoteric.
Webpages
. . . . . Immediate, mixed quality, with limited factual support.
Interviews
. . . . . Immediate, varied quality, partly digested.
Each format has a selection of simple tools to find information. Many
of these tools will be on the internet - which may mean easily
accessible. A word of caution: try not to confuse search tools that
happen to be on the internet with searching internet information. The
Amazon.com book catalogue is a search tool useful in locating books.
Though on the web, searching Amazon is part of a book search, not a web
search. A search of the Reuters newswire is a news search, not a web
search, even though Reuters releases current news on the web. Each
format should remain distinct in your mind.
Tools to Find Books
1) Some books, particularly classics, are free on the internet through
efforts like Project Gutenberg.
2) Libraries allow you to read books. Library catalogues are frequently
online.
3) The largest libraries, like the Library of Congress and the British
Library, list millions of books in their online catalogues.
4) Most currently available 'in print' books are listed in national
Books-in-Print databases.
5) Each country maintains a special government publication database.
6) Lastly, online bookstore catalogues like that of Barnes & Noble,
list a sizeable portion of current in-print books.
Tools to Find Webpages
1) Global search engines index hundreds of millions of webpages for
free text searching. Consider Altavista and All-the-Web.
2) Global directories list resources by category. Consider Yahoo or the
Open Directory Project.
3) Regional search engines and directories focus more tightly on
regionally important topics.
4) Lastly, more specialized search tools, from search engines which
focus on specific topics (like maths or government webpages), services
which link you to important topic-specific websites, and services which
manually review websites, all can take you further.
Tools to Find News
1) Current news is found in newspapers and the evening news. News clips
can be delivered electronically, or purchased through specialist news
clipping services.
2) Newswires redistribute regional news to a larger audience. Many
newswires release their text news free online.
3) Specialized search engines like NewsBlip and TotalNews aggregate
current online news.
4) State libraries archive past copies of regional papers.
4) Individual newspapers maintain libraries of previous articles. Many
are available as commercial databases.
5) Larger commercial databases unite the news from many prominent
newspapers. These databases of news articles stretch back many years.
This story is repeated with all the formats information comes in.
To drum this in with repetition, searching starts with a question.
Select the format (book, news or webpage). Next, select one or more
tools from our short list of search tools for that format. Want to
understand the lifecycle of the spider? A book should prove useful.
Let's look at either our local library book catalogue or a big
commercial bookstore catalogue like Barnes & Noble (http://bn.com).
Search. Read. Voila, the lifecycle of the spider.
If searching appears a little boring at this point, you have not
visited a library recently. The excitement comes in finding the
information. The rest is dull indeed.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The information revolution washes over us, picks us up and pushes us
forward like so much driftwood. From now on our lives will forever be
awash with information. We will eat it. Breathe it. Live in it. Drown
in it. Some of us will even learn to live for it. Those most capable
will have the skills to search, sift and sort information.
The information revolution is not about primary research, lab coats and
discovery. It is about a surplus of information. The searching we have
just discussed is not a particularly creative process. Simple searching
is not sufficient to deal with the great tide of information moving
against us. But then, simple searching lacks finesse. Simple searching
is, well, simple.
Searching is one of those most delightful tasks where skill is
everything. A search without talent will give you just a taste. Like
pottery perhaps. Anyone can get something but only an expert can
accomplish wonders. Quality information, reliable answers, effective
coverage of resources; it takes skill to get to this level.
Advances in technology and the delivery of search assistance has made
searching easier than ever before. Many search tasks can be
accomplished without any experience. With more challenging questions a
novice will get results - results they will be proud of. But not
results they should be proud of. With experience, you will recognize
how much more is possible.
Let's proceed by adding a little more complexity.
Continue to:
My Books
