Week 7

Lecture Summary:

Referencing is very important in todays society. It helps the reader distinguish your ideas from the ideas of others and it is a good way to acknowledge your sources. A reference is also seen as a useful tool for readers to find follow up information on the topic of your work. Most writers also cite or quote a reference in their piece of writing to back up the idea being shown. a bibliography or reference list is an alphabetical list that shows all the works used to help portray an idea and is usually located at the end of the writing. Endnote is a computerised flat-file database system that allows the user to compile and manage references and can create bibliographies from them. The interesting thing about endnote is the fact that it can be incorperated into MS Word. This allows university students to easily manage a bibliography while writing, instead of when they are finished, which saves time. Endnote consists of many different recognised styles and types of referencing that makes it handy for any situation in life. It has shown itself to be a very reliable tool and will probally only continue to improve in the years to come.


Tutorial Summary:

1. Review the online referencing guide and include examples of referencing five different types of electronic format material.

Screenshot of Online Referencing Guide:


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18


The online referencing guide has given me the ability to reference all types of media in the correct ECU format. I have used this guide in order to reference 5 different types of electronic format material. These are as follows:-

Webpage=

Technical specifications (iPod). [n.d.] Retrieved May, 2008, from Apple:
http://www.apple.com/iPod/specs.html

Wiki=

Dogs. (n.d.) Retrieved May 24, 2008, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs

Aggregated Database=

Hannis, W. C., & Black, D. L. (1997). Role of elderly people in society. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 72, 444-450. Retrieved May 24, 2008, from PsycARTICLES database.

Electronic Newspaper Article=

Jandis, J. D. (2007, May 12). Change of legislation. Mandurah Mail. Retrieved May 24, 2008,
from http://www.mandurahmailnewspaper.com.au/

CD-ROM=

Maths Made Easy [CD]. (2000). Sydney, New South Wales: CD-ROM Publishing



2. Complete the "Endnotev11 Exercises for Vista" found on blackboard.

Screenshot of ProQuest:


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18


Screenshot of completed endnote exercise:


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18


3. Complete the "Cite while you write Endnote Exercise" found on Blackboard.

Screenshot of completed exercise:


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18



Reading Summary:

1. Endnote

This reading is all about how to use the computer program called Endnote. It has been especially designed and written for students at ECU and explains the many different procedures a student would need to know in order to use endnote. The main topics it covers are:-

• Building a new endnote reference library
• Displaying and Searching
• making citations
• Generating a reference list
• Using Endnote in MS Word
• Backing up
• Importing references

As this is over 19 pages long i only skimmed through the main points, however, i found that this will be a very useful resource to any student wishing to use Endnote in their future studies.

2. Some Additional Endnote Help

This is a website that seems to be founded by the Endnote program creators. It provides many different downloads and patches that will help the program run better as well as keep the referencing system up to date. There is also a frequently asked question section that gives users of Endnote the ability find out answers to common questions. It is possible to email a feedback/support service for additional Endnote help. Overall this site I think this webpage could be very useful for the more advanced Endnote user as well as for the new user trying to find out answers to the problems they're having.

Week 6

Lecture Summary:

This lecture was about the evaluation and authentication of websites. The accuracy of information found on the web can be questionable because anyone can create a website. There is virtually no control over what can be published. It is often hard to determine the ownership of a web page. Webpages can be signed by the creator but there is no proof that suggests that he/she is also qualified enough to give trustworthy information about a topic. The goals of the author or sponser of a website, are generally never stated, and it can be hard to tell if the information given is biased or not. Validating the currency of the information is also a problem; websites are not required to present a publication date and if they do, it could be misleading. This means that more research must be obtained in order to validate the information. The following is a list of criteria questions a person can ask when trying to determine the auntenticity of a site:-

• Accuracy - Is the information reliable and is the author verified?
• Authority - Is the sponser reputable and the author qualified?
• Objectivity - Are there any advertisments and is there much evidence of bias?
• Currency - Is the page dated and was it updated recently, are the links current?
• Coverage - Is the information in-depth and valuable?

It is also important that the domain name is appropriate to the content. (.edu) and (.gov) are generally the most reliable of all domain types. It is good to steer clear from personal sites or any URL's that contain (~) or (%) because these are the ones that can be written by absolutely anybody, and are usually strongly biased or unfactual, therefore they are not reliable resources or authentic pieces of information.

By reading the text a website provides, the quality of it can help determine if the site is authentic or not. The text should be well written and be detailed and proffessional as printed publications eg: a local newspaper. All sources should be documented via the use of links, footnotes and references. There also should be no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Finally, the page should be well formed and all links and pictures in working order.

It is crucial to evaluate the authenticity of a website before using it as a reference in any university work. Otherwise you could be using information that is not correct resulting in a lesser grade than you deserve.


Tutorial Summary:

1. Review the ICYouSee Critical Thinking page and summarise the strategies for evaluating information found in websites.

This website can be found at: http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html

Make Sure you are in the right place = The internet doesnt have everything. You may be able to find better more effective information in a textbook. Beofre you go on the internet you should ask yourself if its worth searching through all the information it provides when it may just be better to get it from another source.

When in doubt, doubt = It is important that you check the page for proper authentication otherwise you may get mis-leading or false information. Find the author and the date of the publication to help ensure the information you found is authentic and correct.

Consider the Source = By checking up on the author you will know if he or she has the proper authority and expertise to make their publication trustworthy. It is important not only to check their name but also to research it to find out if he or she is a qualified person that has other publications elsewhere.

Know whats happening = Some web sites are to inform, some are to sell and some are to make a statement. By identifing what the web site is trying to say it will be easier to see if this is the site you are in fact after. It is important to know the purpose or intention of a website because it helps identify whether or not the text is biased or not.

Look at details = By looking at the grammer, spelling and wording in the text you can tell if a site is professional or not. If there are many mis-spellings and sentences that dont make sence the author must not be of an educated background and the text is probally just opinion and therefore not a reliable resource.

Distinguish web pages from pages found on the Web = Sometimes the text on a website was actually written for something else like a book, journal, or newspaper article. If the text seems written like this, the site must provide the reader with the correct original references. If however, the website does not provide this, it is best not to use the information.

Screenshot of ICYouSee website:

By danijolly22 at 2008-04-19

2. Complete the "Reliving the Sixties: a Web Site Evaluation Assignment" exercise on the ICYouSee website.

This can be found at http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think60.html

Screenshot of Exercise:

By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18

Website 1

http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/sixties/index.html

Accuracy = After searching up other sites to compare this to i found that the information was generally the same so i would consider the text in this one to be reliable. It is edited by a well known university so this gives this webite authenticity

Authorship = The text is a collection of works from many authors and all have been credited by the university.

Purpose = Included in this website is a foreword and the proffessor of the university clearly states the purpose of the site and what she hopes to achieve by publishing it. there is no advertising throughout the pages and nothing has been written in a biased format.

Detail and Design = The spelling, grammer and use of wording is accurate and the pictures match to what is being spoken about. The design of the webpage is easy to navigate, all the links works and attention to detail is seen in most areas.

Overall Worth = This website would be very useful for someone wanting to know about the 1960's. It appears to be authentic by the way its written. A university is also a reputable source to get information from.

Screenshot:

By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18

Website 2

http://www.hippy.com/php/sitetopics.php?topic=1

Accuracy = This website does not provide the authors name. Most of the links take the viewer to a page that contains many peoples opinion, none of which can be verified. The website mainly gives an impression that it is a 'hippy' chat forum.

Authorship = There are no references on the page. This website only contains links to other places most of which dont provide an author or editor.

Purpose = This website mainly discusses the issues of the 1960's, like the civil rights movement, from a hippy's point of view. The only advertisement visible sells hippy calanders and is found at the top of everypage.

Detail and Design = The design and layout of this page is very amateurish. This makes me think this website is homemade and not from a reputable source. The spelling and grammar is incorrect throughout. This shows me the authors are not educated and gives me the assumption that what they say shouldnt be entirely trusted. It is a page in which people can express their own views on the matters making it biased in some ways.

Overall Worth = Overall this is not a web site I would use. It lacks legimate information, any referencing and there are many spelling and grammar errors. Universities would in no doubt deem this site as unreliable and it obviously shouldnt be used as a reference source because of this.

Screenshot:

By danijolly22 at 2008-04-19

Reading Summary:

There were no readings to summarise this week :)

Week 5

Lecture Overview:

This lecture was about using search engines on the internet. There are three categories of information on the web; the free visible web, the free invisible web and paid databases over the web. The tools for searching can be either a type of search engine or a type of directory. A search engine is a program that goes through the internet, creating indices of websites. It usually does this by reading the textual information found on the websites. when you search up a keyword or phrase on a search engine it will bring up every page it finds that contains those words. Some examples of search engines are:-

• http://www.google.com/
• http://www.yahoo.com/
• http://www.altavista.com/
• http://www.alltheweb.com/

The main problem associated with these engines is the fact that they return too many results that may be of limited relevance to what you wanted to know. A directory is a collection of webpages that have been human edited. webpages are submitted to directories to be reviewed. They will only be added to the directory if they pass certain requirements. This is done to ensure the quality and reliablity of a directory. The following is a list of well known reliable search directories all with a comprehensive database:-

• dmoz.org
• directory/google.com
• dir.yahoo.com
• http://www.looksmart.com/
• http://www.about.com/

The types of queries that search engines allow you to enter are keywords, phrases, boolean and advanced features. The strategies and keyword choices will effect the search outcome. In order to achieve the outcome you would like it is advisable to learn how to search effectivly. Here are some tips to help:-

• Use several search tools.
• Read the search tips or help information at each search engine.
• For keyword searches, use several words.
• Guess a location.
• Use advance search functions to narrow down the search.

Tutorial Overview:

1. Work through Monash University's excellent interactive tutorial on search engines and directories found at: http://www.monash.com/spidap.html and list four strategies that will help you to structure a good search!

• Use keywords and key phrases in the search
• Use boolean terms to assist the keywords words such as And, So etc..
• Have a search strategy, and know what you want to look for.
• Use concept based searching with phrases.

Screenshot of Tutorial:


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18


2. Complete the online Internet quiz!

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

Here i had to answer the many questions to do with general knowledge. To find the correct answers I had to research information using the question as my guideline.

Screenshot of quiz:


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18


3. List the strategies you used to locate your answers. Summarise what you have learnt so far during this module about information found on the internet and ways to find that information using search engines!

When researching for the answers to the questions in the quiz i used the search engine Google. By reading the question i could pick out the keywords and enter them in for searching. Google would then provide me with many relevant webpages concerning these terms. Most of the time i was able to find the correct answer in the first few pages Google had conjured, but sometimes this was not the case, so i used boolean terms such as AND to help me.

Search engines are programs that i can use to help me find information. Through this module i have learnt the different techniques that can be used to correctly search required topics. By using boolean terms or phrases it can not only turn up more relavant results but it also narrows down the search. This will be highly useful to know throughout my university studies because it will help me get the information i need faster and more efficient and effectively.


Reading Overview:

1. Web Search Strategies

This webpage is very informative and describes exactly what the title implies, strategies involved in web searching. Before telling us this it first explains what a search engine or database actually is and the categories information is held in; the free visible web, the free invisible web and paid databases available over the web.

According to this website, in order to be a good searcher, you must have:-

• Creativity - you must be able to generate some synonyms
• Patience - when you search a library collection, you must plan to spend more than five minutes looking in the card catalog or on the shelves.
• Ability to look at more than one search engine - The variety will help you find what you need.

When searching it is advised to know how to use keywords, phrases and booloean operators to help get better, more relevant results. The tips this website gives in relation to searching on search engines are exactly the same as the ones we learnt about in the lecture.

2. Search Engine History

This website, as the title suggests, provides information relating to the history of search engines. In the beggining a search engine was a page filled with subjects listed in alphabetical order. When a person clicked on a subject of there choice, website URL's would come up. Since then the internet has grown so large that such databases wouldnt be able to handle the information overload. Engines had to grow to adapt to these changes and all of the search engines of today like google or yahoo essentially use the same principles of those that were created first.

3. Search Engine Optimisation for Companies

Search engine optimisation is a way to make your webpage appear in the first twenty results of a search. In this case if this was to happen it would be good for a company because of the advertising prospects it creates. This website is an advertisment in it self with the target audience being small businesses. The company provides a business with an analysis of there website content that will reveal any issues regarding optimising its search engine potential. On recieving this analysis a business has the key information necessary to know how to change certain things in relation to keywords and phrases to increase advertising potential. The company also sets a benchmark and will monitor future progress such as the link popularity.

Week 4

Lecture Overview :-

This lecture was about using the World Wide Web (WWW). On the net you find computers, on the web you find documents, sounds videos and information. On the net connection is made with cables between computers, on the web connections are hyperlinked text. The web would not exist without the net and is an abstract virtual space of information that made the net useful because of all the information and media it provided. It was developed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 to facilitate sharing research information. He has done this by developing a network of servers that are linked together by a common protocol. Some of the WWW protocols are :-

• TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
• HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol
• DNS - Domain Name System
• URL - Universal Resource Locator

The TPC converts binary signals into telephone like signals to transfer information to another computer through a telephone line. Once at its destination that computer will use TPC to convert the telephone signal back to binary. HTTP then uses the binary to instruct the computer how to display the data on the screen. The WWW is the visible part of the internet that shows this information. URL's find the information. The following codes will help you recognise the resource of a URL

• .com - commercial or of a commercial nature
• .net - network, used when .com isnt available
• .org - non profit organisation
• .gov - government
• .edu - education

Web browsers are the programs that people use in order to access the World Wide Web. The three main ones are internet explorer, neoplanet and firefox. Browsers are quiet similar in the way they offer the same tools for searching, navigating and saving snapshots of the WWW. Web address is where you type the URL. The back and forward buttons navigate between pages visited in your current session. The home button is used to return to the homepage at any time. History is what you click to view a list of previously visited webpages. If you like a webpage for some reason all browsers allow you to bookmark the page so you can return to it whenever you would like.

Tutorial Overview :-

1. Have a look at the sites: http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/ and http://www.molossia.org/ and discuss their authenticity

Haggis Hunt

How has this website attempted to appear authentic?
This website has attempted to appear authentic by having a proffesional layout, providing the viewer with a date to show its recent, and showing names of people that have won the prizes in the past.

Four clues that give this site away as a spoof:-

.com = it is a commercial site and has many adverts throughout its pages.

Haggis = Everyone knows that it is impossible to find a Haggis because it is a fictional creature and haggis is in fact a traditional scottish meal comprising of a sheeps stomach that has been stuffed with meat and oatmeal.

Cams = These are being provided by a completely different website and obviously have not been put on that website for the purpose of searching for the "haggis" creature.

Publisher = There is nowhere that states the publisher, author or directors involved in the making of this site and competition.

Screenshot:-


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18


Molossia

How has this website attempted to appear authentic?
This website has attempted to appear authentic by using the .org in the URL. Most people will see any site ending in this as authentic because it stands for organisation and an organisation is generally seen as trustworthy. the site also includes a logo and the supposed language of the country of Molossia, making it seem real.

Four clues that give this site away as a spoof:-

.org = although organisation is seen as trustworthy if this really was a country the URL would end in .gov for government.

Note to teachers = before you enter the webpage you able to click on this button and although it states that this is a real place it is obvious that this site is used for teaching kids the difference between authentic and non-authentic sites.

Government = the pictures are all of the same person but dressed up differently according to character

Language = The whole site is written in english when the apparrent language seen at the start is the countrys main language. If it was a real country the whole site would be written in the countries main language with the option of changing it to other languages

Screenshot:-


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18


2. Consider the following Web address: http://www.martinlutherking.org/, what do you expect to find at the website based on the URL?

Based on th URL i expect the site to be authentic as it is from a non for profit organisation. Organisations are usually a trustworthy source to get information from. Also, by the URL, i can see that the site is going to be in someway about martin luther king. He is a famous black activist and he lead the fight in america for human rights. It is because of him that the black american people are seen as equals today. This site will probally contain a bibliography of his life and achievements as well as various pictures of him and his campaigns.

3. Now visit the website and write down your first impressions.

When first looking at the web page it is not what i expected it would be like. It is not as formal as i thought it would be, more like an amateurs attempt at a good webpage. It has links to articles about him but it also has a link to lyrics from a rap. this doesnt seem a very appropriate thing to put on a Martin Luther King webpage. There is a quote next to his picture that sounds very ANTI-Martin Luther King.

Screenshot of Website:-


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18


4. Finally, spend some time looking at the articles etc. If you knew nothing about Martin Luther King before today, Google him to get a few more opinions. What you think of the website now?

When reading some of the linked articles, it seems the author has gone to the effort to show that King had plagerised his speeches, and they were not his own. The authors do not believe Martin was a good thing to america but was infact fake and only in it for himself. The site goes on to explain why there shouldnt be a King holiday and that he raped and beat three woman the night before his assasination. I went on google to search up other sites about him such as http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html and all of these seemed more reliable and unbiased; showing him to be a good man and included biographies, pictures, quotes, and information on his life. after seeing this i believe that the webpage http://www.martinlutherking.org/ is unreliable, very biased and contains more theories than fact.

Screenshot of another Martin Luther King website:-


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18

This activity has taught me that .org may not be as credible as it seems. Anybody can create a web address ending in this and can write anything in it. So it is advised that all websites must be looked at to see how credible they are before taking information from them.

Reading Overview :-

1. History of the Internet

This was a very long webpage about where the internet originated from and how it got to where it is today.

2. History of the WWW

This website explained the Development of Computers up until the 1960's, from ARPANET to World Wide Web, History of Electronic Mail, Search Engines and Basic Net Data.

Week 3

Lecture Overview :-

Todays lecture was about using online libraries and databases. An online library is essentially a place on the internet that holds books, journals, articles, enclyclopedias etc, that are available for use online. A database is an organised colection of information. In both the libraries and databases, you can type in what you want know about eg: plants and the websites will show you all relevant materials in their collections that are related to plants.

Advantages of online libraries :

• Convenient - you can access it from home


• Electronic Format - easy to put into notes


• Currency - journals are always up to date

Disadvantages of online libraries :

• Some content is hidden - need a subscription to most of them


• Hard to find - most search engines do not show up the libraries

Advantages of databases :

• Comprehensive -contain alot of information


• Current - mostly updated on a regular basis


• 24/7 access - can be accessed anytime anywhere

Disadvantages of databases :

• Some content is hidden - subscription only


• Advertising - contains alot of it


• Information overload - too much can be a bad thing


• Difficult to navigate -hard to find the information you are looking for

The are many types of online libraries and databases. The libraries generally hold text repositories, journals, electronic books or collections of music or artwork. Whether as, with the databases you can search for people, look through email directories, government information and statistics or even news and media articles.

In conclusion I think both online libaries and databases will be vital for use in university research because they are both an extremely useful source of information . Although many are only available through subcription many are also free. Mostly all of these websites are up to date; current information not old irrelevant information is needed to comply with the university standard when writing an assignment.

Tutorial Overview :-

1. Log into the ECU Library service at http://www.ecu.edu.au/library/ and explore.

Here i looked at the various search functions and went through the support services. This library seems very easy to navigate and will be a good resource for my future university studies.

Screenshot of Library:-

By danijolly22 at 2008-04-17

2. Find a journal article on a online journal on the economic impact of global warming on business

I could not find any articles relating to this topic on the ECU journal database but after looking through a few other sites, i have located an article found in the BBC News - World Edition journal database, titled "The economic impact of global warming" which was in the business section.

Screenshot of Journal Article:-

By danijolly22 at 2008-04-17

3. Record a list of 10 useful functions or search tips from the ECU library site, giving a brief explanation of each.

The following is a list of ten different functions that can be useful when on the ECU library site:-

Journal article database = This is where you would search for books, journal articles, statistics annual reports etc.

Books = This is catalogue of all the books that are available at the different ECU libraries. Search on here if you are looking to hire out books for referencing for an assignment.

Websites = This is a list of key websites differentiated by subjects and is compiled by the librarians. Can be a usefool tool for locating important information.

MetaQuest = MetaQuest is an access portal for library databases that can search up to 10 databases simultaneously.

Quick Catalogue Search = The easiest way to quickly locate information on your topic.

Resource by faculty = If the topic of your assignment was for the faculty of business and law, here you would click business and law, and all the subjects realted to this subject would appear. You would then click on the subject relating to your assignment and the databases, websites and guides for this subject will be shown.

Reserve readings = eReserve is an online collection of high use materials made available in digital format via the Library’s Catalogue. More than one student may need the same book if it is in high demand so it is made available digitally here.

Liberty = This is an information package that will help students learn how to use the library's information sources.

Academic tip sheets = These are sheets that provide information on how to do many things in university and will help you in every aspect of submitting correct university work.

Podcasts = Podcasts are audio files that can be downloaded and played on your MP3 player, or through your PC. ECU library's podcasts include audio tours of each metro campus library, as well as information about using your ECU library.



4. Visit the MEDline plus website - http://www.medlineplus.gov/ and spend some time going through the health topics and drug information.

Screenshot of MEDline plus:-


By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18



5. Is there a particular condition or drug you are interested in? Use the built-in search engine to find out more about it.

I decided to look up dementia because this is what my grandad has and it would be interesting to find out more about it. I found that the website provided alot of information on this topic.

Screenshot of Dementia Page:-

By danijolly22 at 2008-04-18

6. Write who you think might use such a service and what you think they might get from it?

This website provides substantial information relating to all facets of health. It includes pictures and diagrams, definitions, drugs and supplements and also directories for local health services in your area. I think it will be very useful for someone wanting to find out anything about health or health related topics because it is very thorough in the information it gives. It would be also be useful for people who have a medical condition or who know someone with a medical condition because they could come on this site and find out more about it, giving them more of an understanding of what is involved with that condition.

Reading Overview :-

1. Finding out what you want on the web

This is an article by Bill Thompson and is found on the BBC website in the news section. He goes on about finding other forms of searching the internet besides the major engines such as Google. He says databases are a good form of searching as these contain the information that the search engines wont show. However it is hard to locate good databases without knowing about them first. This is where he found blogs came in handy. They contained credibable information that was linked to other online resources. Some databases online are blocked by firewalls and subscription services, but he says it is wise to join subcription because then you know you are not recieving information biased by advertising. Good online research has to involve more than just typing a couple of words into a search form and clicking a button. It is currently impossible to thoroughly search the internet because it is far to large for any search device to sort through. Bill says Google will continue to be his main search engine but will now also use other forms so he can access information from the parts of the internet google doesnt look through.


2. Basic Search Tips

This page showed the different ways of using signs and capitalisation in the search phrase to effect the outcome of websites found. For example :-

Use the plus (+) and minus (-) signs in front of words to force their inclusion and/or exclusion in searches.EXAMPLE: +meat -potatoes(NO space between the sign and the keyword)

OR

Use truncation (or stemming) and wildcards (e.g., *) to look for variations in spelling and word form.EXAMPLE: librar* returns library, libraries, librarian, etc.EXAMPLE: colo*r returns color (American spelling) and colour (British spelling)

OR

Combine phrases with keywords, using the double quotes and the plus (+) and/or minus (-) signs.EXAMPLE: +cowboys +"wild west" -football -dallas(In this case, if you use a keyword with a +sign, you must put the +sign in front of the phrase as well. When searching for a phrase alone, the +sign is not necessary.)