The Einstein within

This is the time of year that I get many questions from students and parents. They generally want advice on resources to complete papers and other class projects. There is a bevy of quality online resources to complete virtually any assignment that you have been given. This may sound slightly odd especially since many students are well versed at surfing the Internet. The rub is that there is a difference between surfing the Internet and getting quality information from it. As most of you are aware, there is a multitude of things on the Internet that can be classified as anything except quality information. When most people look for information on the Internet they peruse google, yahoo, or the search engine du jour. Thousands if not millions of files then inundate them. Generally speaking more is usually better, but in this instance it is not. The vast majority of the search results are not going to be what you were searching for and then you invest more of your time to get the information that you were originally seeking. As always, there is an easier way.
The first thing that I would suggest is to use what the experts use and search how the experts search. When it comes to information research, librarians are the uncontested experts. Now if you don’t have the time to complete a degree in library science before your assignment is due, then I would say that the next best thing would be to use online resources that are of librarian quality or at least close enough for your needs. Instead of using a search engine you may want to consider using a search directory. Search directories are more focused and more likely to yield the informational fruits that you seek. Catalogs and databases are another option that could yield the information bounty that you seek. It is here that you can retrieve among other things, unique newspaper and journal articles for your assignments. The libraries at the University of Arizona and Pima Community College provide vast databases that can be searched on line via their respective websites.
For those of you who cannot bear to get information from any other place than a search engine, the least that I can do is to help you search a little more efficiently. Many search engines offer an advanced search option. This option allows you to narrow the scope of your search by performing a more detailed search. Some of the options provided allow you to determine which words can be omitted in a search and which ones must be verbatim. Also, you can limit your search to academic websites that end with an .edu instead of .com. Google.com has a very good advanced search menu that is possibly the next best option to a search directory. As always, email me your questions. Happy hunting and here are websites to get you started.
www.lii.org
http://directory.google.com
http://www.library.arizona.edu/
www.factmonster.com
www.ajkids.com
http://dmoz.org
http://www.ipl.org/div/news/