Finding good information on the web can be like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. If you’re lucky, it can take only a few seconds to locate what you need. But if you’re not, you can be sitting at the computer for hours, sifting through pages of information while your deadline looms closer with each passing minute. Many people are turned off by the prospect of researching on the internet for exactly this reason. Most do not have the time or, more to the point, the patience to follow each hyperlink in the hope of stumbling on the right information. Yet, by avoiding using the internet for research altogether, they are limiting themselves from the incredible amount of good information which does exist in cyberspace.

Learning how to find this good information is the first important step on the road to effective "Knowledge Management". So if you are the type who would rather clean out your desk than spend time researching on the internet, this guide is for you. Learning the Lingo All this ‘techie talk’ sometimes seems like an alien language out of Star Trek: impressive but otherwise complete gibberish to those who do not work daily in cyberspace. But, if there are three terms you should be familiar with for web research, they are directories, search engines and portals. Directories are large indexes that are organized by subject. Possibly the most famous example of a directory, one that you’ve most likely used already, is Yahoo! The hierarchical structure of a directory allows a user looking for information on, say, ‘Global Warming’ to follow ever more specific links to their goal. Therefore, one can progress from ‘Global Warming’ to ‘Kyoto Conference’ to ‘Carbon Sequestration’, in relatively little time. Also, since all websites listed in a directory are registered (i.e., site owners pay a fee to the directory to be listed) there are often fewer ‘junk’ sites there than are obtained from other sources. However, directories do have their drawbacks. The sites they list are not always updated, and any search you do will rely on the keywords and descriptions provided during registration by the site owner. These might not always match up with your keywords and can sometimes be mis-categorized.

Search engines, on the other hand, rely on computer programs called ‘crawlers’ to scan all sites on the world wide web for your keywords and to compile a list. Examples of search engines are Google, Lycos, and Excite. Two important things to remember are: 1) each search engine uses a different system to index and categorize sites, and 2) none of the search engines will index all of the pages found on the web with your keywords. Rather they will choose arbitrarily which sites to list and which to leave out. Needless to say, the results obtained from a search engine can be highly variable, even if your keywords are very specific. The trick is to try using the same keywords in different search engines and see which one provides the best results.

others mix-and-match.  However, the general rule is: if you have a general topic but are unsure of where to start looking, use a directory or a portal. If you know specific keywords or need to find the URL of a known source, then use a search engine.

The keyword is the key If you are going to opt for using a search engine, get out your thesaurus and start racking your brain. For obvious reasons, the effectiveness of a search engine in locating what you want depends entirely on what you’ve asked it to find in the first place. Good keywords are the key to limiting the ‘junk’ sites listed by the search engine and getting more quickly to the information you need. A common mistake people make is to limit their entries in the search box to only one or two keywords. Don’t be afraid to throw in more if needed. To use the ‘Global Warming’ example from before: you are looking for information on the EU’s position on logging and carbon sequestration at the Kyoto Conference. You log onto Google and enter your keywords in the search box. Typing ‘carbon+sequestration’ yields 23,000 results but none specific to your topic. By refining the search to ‘carbon+ sequestration+Kyoto+EU’, the number quickly drops to 1,020 possible websites. Adding ‘logging’ to the keyword list brings the number of websites to be searched down to a more manageable 116. For the sophisticated researcher, there are even more refined techniques for locating information using Boolean terms like AND, OR, AND NOT, and NEAR. 

to ensure that you are searching in the right place. If you are looking for credibility, you should first start with the most well reputed organizations and institutions. Large organizations like the United Nations have little to gain from placing false information on the web and their sites are usually revised and edited often. As an added bonus, most of these sites provide a listing of ‘Relevant Links’ that will usually lead to other well-known organizations. These listings provide a quick way for you to find additional information on your topic without having to go through a search engine.

The same credibility check applies to some of the smaller organizations, such as the International Institute for Sustainable Development and Development Alternatives, who employ respected professionals and have reputations to uphold. Also, several peer-reviewed academic journals are now available online, although sometimes for a fee, and can be a good source of primary data. Similarly, large news sites like CNN, Envirolink and The Times of India can also be trusted to provide genuine information on the world wide web. Sources such as these are generally reliable and are usually more objective than personal websites. That said, don’t be so quick to discount websites with more personal content, including news groups and listservs. 

Ask around and see if your colleagues know about good places to find or exchange information. Most websites will tell you when they were last updated. Usually the date is lurking somewhere at the bottom of the page. Check to see if you are looking at the latest finding or digging up data from the Stone Age. Also, try to ensure that the data is accurate. Glaring typing mistakes and skewed formatting are often a sign that you are not on a good site. However, keep in mind that even on reputed websites, mistakes do happen. If you are going to quote a statistic or a comment made on a webpage, it is better to be old-fashioned and go to the original source to ensure that the information you want is accurate.

Garbage in, garbage out

Despite all the high-tech wizardry and sophisticated search engines, your success at finding good information on the internet ultimately comes down to how well you search. Technology is, at least for now, still intimately linked with the human factor; the old adage of ‘garbage in, garbage out’ still applies. However, by learning how to search more effectively, you can start spending more time doing your research and less time sifting through the haystack for the needle you know is lurking within. So get yourself hooked-up and plugged-in, and happy hunting! q

The author is a Guest Researcher with 
Development Alternatives Information Network 
(DAINET)