Using the Internet for Research on HIV/AIDS, STDs, and TB

Basics of the Internet

Be Careful: Don’t Trust Everything You Read!

Using the AIDS Resource Center Links Page

Other Online Tutorials

10 Tips to Make Searches more Effective


Basics of the Internet


Introduction

If you are viewing this page, you are already using the internet. The window that is open right now is called a browser window. A browser window uses a software program to display the many different websites and web pages that make up the internet. Each website or web page has a unique address, also called a website address or URL, that usually begins with www. (You can see the address of the page you are viewing now, in the address box on the toolbar at the top of your browser).

Web pages are full of information, and are connected to other pages in the same website or elsewhere on the internet by links. Links are highlighted words, pictures, or website addresses that you can click on to jump to another place on the internet. You can tell if a word or object is a link by moving your mouse cursor over it: if the cursor changes from an arrow to a hand symbol, it is a link.

Three Ways To Find What You Are Looking For

You can use the internet in one of three ways – you can: click on a link; type in a website address directly (if you already know it); or search for information using an internet search tool. These three different ways are described in more detail below.

Search Tools

You can search in four different ways. The way that you choose depends on the kind of information you want to find. Think before you start to search: Are you looking for one fact or a whole website on a topic? Do you want to find a specific website (like for an organization or a product), or do you want to find multiple websites on the same subject? The four options are to use:

  1. Your browser’s search button in the toolbar. This might be a globe or magnifying glass, or simply a second address box with the Google or Yahoo symbol (see the section below for a description of how to use these engines separately). Most later versions of browsers are equipped with integrated search engines, and also allow users to integrate their choice of search engine so that you can use it from the toolbar.

    If the search address box is displayed, this means that the browser has an integrated search engine. You can tell which engine the browser uses by the symbol displayed next to or within the search address box. The browser may even contain several integrated search engines that you can choose from a drop-down option of the search address box. Some browsers also display a 'Search Web' button that helps you to narrow your searches to look only for websites that contain news, dictionaries, videos, sports, etc.

    If you want to use your browser's integrated search engine, simply type in the subject or name you are looking for, then click GO or press Enter on your keyboard. If your browser displays a globe and magnifying glass in the toolbar, click on it to display the address box, type in the word or subject, and click GO or press Enter.

    This method is a good and easy way to start, but you should also try other search engines to see if they give you better results.

  2. A search engine separate from your browser's integrated engine(s). Search engines take the words you type and look for matches in a database of many different websites and web pages, then display the web addresses of the websites that contain words that match your search words.

    The results you get from your search depend on two things:


    See hints on how to make your searches more effective.

    Examples of search engines include:

    Some people like using metasearch engines and metacrawlers, which search for results on multiple search engines simultaneously. Those records at the top of the list are the pages found by all the different search engines. The main benefit of metasearch engines is that they can increase your internet coverage by three to four times. However, records that only one search engine can find (usually individual articles, documents, and lesser-known or more recent web pages) tend not to show up using metasearch engines. Here is a list of metasearch engines to try:


  3. A subject directory. If you are looking for information in a general category (such as cancer or HIV/AIDS), you can view lists of websites in this category by using a subject directory. Subject directories allow you to explore increasingly more specific categories to find a collection of websites on a particular topic. Subject directories are good for exploring the internet, but can be difficult to use to find specific pieces of information. Examples of subject directories include:


  4. A subject-specific search engine. These search engines tend to go into much greater depth than regular search engines, and can retrieve specific articles or information sheets that regular search engines can’t access. They usually search for websites or pages within a specific subject area. Some of the most useful subject-specific search engines for HIV/AIDS researchers are medical search engines. Some of these engines require you to register, or to pay a fee for displaying or downloading certain journal articles. Examples of medical search engines include:



    Glossary of Internet Terms

    Address

    Each web page and website on the Internet has its own unique address. Addresses may consist of any combination of letters and/or numbers, usually punctuated with periods(“.”), underscore marks (“_”) and backslashes(“/”). To visit a website, you can either type its address directly into the address box on the toolbar, or use a link in a page, which uses a code to go automatically to an address.

    Browser window

    To view pages on the internet, you need a specific kind of software called a browser. A browser window is the software you use to see things on the Internet. You can open multiple browser windows at one time, which allows you to view more than one website at a time.

    Link

    A link is any highlighted text or picture object on a web page that allows you to jump to another place in the document or to another web page or website. You can tell if text or an object is a link by moving your cursor arrow over the object: if it changes to a hand icon, it is a link that you can click to jump to another page or site. You can always click the “Back” button on your browser toolbar if you click a link by mistake or want to return to the page you previously viewed.

    Search

    Searching refers to the way you look for information you want on the internet. There are a number of search tools you can use to find the information you are looking for. Search engines, subject directories, and subject-specific search engines are some of these tools.

    Search engine

    A search engine is a computer database system that allows you to enter in words about the subject you’re looking for. It matches those words to websites on the internet and displays a list of web addresses as results. Different search engines work differently, so you may want to try the same search with different search engines to see which ones give the best results.

    Subject directory

    A subject directory is a specific list of websites that are organized by subject. Users who are looking for information about a general topic often benefit from using subject directories.

    Subject-specific search engine

    A subject-specific search engine is a very specific and extensive grouping of web pages and websites on a given subject. These kinds of search engines are often beneficial for researchers in a specific field (for example, MedlinePlus. It searches an extensive collection of medical journal articles, and is an excellent resource for physicians and biomedical scientists, but not usually for movie actors).

    URL

    URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, which is another term for the web address of a web page or website on the internet. Usually, URLs begin with www…

    Web page

    A document designed for viewing in a browser window.

    website

    A collection of inter-linked and related web pages, usually posted by a single organization.

    www…

    Abbreviation for World Wide Web, the term for the part of the internet that can be viewed as web pages. These are the customary beginning letters of a website address.

    For other excellent online glossaries that contain terms that you may see when using the internet, visit:


    Be Careful: Don’t Trust Everything You Read!

    It is tempting to believe everything you read on the Internet. But be aware: putting pages on the Internet is not like producing a magazine, newspaper, or book. Magazines, newspapers, and books usually need to be reviewed and approved before they are published. But in many countries, ANYONE can have their own website, and no one reviews the content of these websites or gives permission for them to put information on these websites. Many pages don’t display dates or sources of the information. For this reason, a lot of information on the Internet is unreliable, and sometimes, it’s just plain junk.

    websites often contain distorted or false information, opinions rather than facts, pictures or words that you might find offensive, or other kinds of information that will hurt rather than help your research. It is very important to think critically about the kind of information you read, and to judge its quality very carefully.

    Here are some guidelines for evaluating the quality of information on websites you visit:

    Using The AIDS Resource Center Links Page

    If you are looking for topical information related to HIV/AIDS, STDs, and TB, try the AIDS Resource Center Links Page before you try a search engine. Each link contains a title, a link, and a brief description to facilitate quick and accurate researching.

    Users seeking a specific organization working on HIV/AIDS and related issues in Ethiopia, or a specific international organization supporting HIV/AIDS issues (such as UN bodies and international NGOs) should explore the HIV/AIDS Organization database section. All other links are categorized by topic area; topics are presented in alphabetical order. Clicking on a topic opens a page with an annotated list of websites on that topic. If you can’t find the topic you’re looking for, check the topic lists for others that might be similar or more general (for example, if you can’t find “antiretroviral drugs,” look for “treatments” instead).

    To access the AIDS Resource Center Links page, click here.

    Other Online Tutorials

    If you want more information about using the Internet, try an online Internet tutorial. Internet tutorials are online programs that teach people skills for using the Internet. This includes learning better search techniques, learning more about the structure and history of the internet, and learning how to make sure that the information you find is accurate and current. If this interests you, try one of these tutorials:

    To access a tutorial, simply click on its Internet address below:

    Learn the Net (http://www.learnthenet.com/english/section/www.html)
    This site features short descriptions about different things you need to know to find information on the Internet. Particularly helpful for first-time users are the sections on “The Web At-a-Glance,” “Anatomy of a Web Page,” “Understanding Web Addresses,” and “Top Ten Tips.”

    Welcome to the Web (http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/welcome/)
    A simple guide with clear instructions about the internet, browsers, searching, guestbooks, etc.

    Finding Information on the Internet Tutorial (Berkeley University, USA)
    (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html)
    This site allows you to pick and choose what you want to learn about the Internet. Topics covered include descriptions of the Internet, comparisons of web browsers, hints about how to search effectively, links to different types of search tools, and how to make sure that the information you find is good information.

    10 Tips to Make Searches More Effective

    Finding information on the Internet can seem as difficult as looking for a needle in a haystack. In some ways, this is true: from the hundreds of millions of different web pages in existence, you are trying to find just a few websites about a topic that interests you. Here is the good news: if you use search engines as a tool (whether general, like Google, or subject-specific, like MedlinePlus), you can learn a few new techniques to improve the chances you’ll find what you’re looking for. Practice makes perfect, and successful searches often take several tries!

    Here are ten tips for searching effectively:

    1. Choose search terms (these are the words you type in the search box) carefully. Unsuccessful searches are usually the result of using search terms that are too general to yield helpful information. General search terms yield too many records, none of which is what you were looking for. Think first about what you are looking for and what you are not looking for, then be as specific as you can in choosing search terms. For example, if you’re looking for information about the socioeconomic impact of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia, type socioeconomic +impact +HIV/AIDS +Ethiopia, not economy +AIDS +Africa. Nouns, such as names and objects, usually work best. Adjectives and verbs should only be used if they are very unique (as with clinical or other occupational terms).

    2. Refine your search terms. Pay attention to whether other words are used for the topic you’re seeking. This can include synonyms, alternate spellings, other word forms, plural/singular differences, and even words that often accompany the topic you are looking for. For example, using AIDS as a search term is often unhelpful, because search engines cannot differentiate between AIDS and “aids,” things that help people. Typing HIV as well as AIDS restricts results to the disease.

    3. Learn how search engines work. Search engines all work differently: the same combination of search terms can give you very different results using different search engines. Somewhere on most search engine home pages is a link or a button that says something like “Search Help,” “Hints for Searching,” “Advanced Search Tips,” or “How to Search.” By clicking on this link, you can often learn tips for how a search engine retrieves results.

    4. Learn Boolean logic. This sounds complicated, but it’s really quite easy. Many search engines accept Boolean logic commands, which are a series of words called operators that you put between your search terms to combine them in many different ways. For example, the AND operator retrieves all records containing both words you entered. The OR operator retrieves all records containing one, the other, or both words you entered. OR generally retrieves many more records than AND, so it’s usually most useful between synonyms. The AND NOT (sometimes NOT or BUT NOT, depending on the search engine) operator allows you to exclude records that you don’t want. AND NOT between search terms looks for records that contain the first term but not the second term. For example, if you are looking for information on famine in Ethiopia but don’t want references to the 1985 famine, type Ethiopia famine AND NOT 1985. Check the search engine’s help page before you start to see whether it accepts Boolean operators. For more information about Boolean logic and how to use it, click here.

    5. Search for phrases, not words. Some search engines let you look for phrases rather than just words. For example, using Google, you can put quotation marks around phrases and it will retrieve records where the words you entered appear as a whole phrase in the exact order you typed. This is especially good for quotations and proper nouns like names with multiple words. Here’s an example: if you type Lion of Judah (no quotation marks) in the search box, the search engine will usually look for all records containing the word “lion” and the word “Judah,” no matter if these words are near each other or not. This just as easily turns up pages about people who battled lions in the Biblical land of Judah as it would a record about Haile Selassie or the biblical origin of the title “Lion of Judah.” Search engines also ignore common words like “of” unless they are within quotation marks as part of a phrase. A better solution is to type “Lion of Judah” in the search box: this will retrieve only those records where the whole phrase appears.

    6. Use more than just one or two search terms. Search engines look for all the search terms you enter in one document, so using more search terms at one time narrows your search. Using 6-8 carefully chosen terms increases the likelihood you will find what you are looking for. For example, using Ethiopia as a search term will retrieve many documents, most of which will be useless if you are an Ethiopian HIV/AIDS epidemiologist working with youth. Ethiopia +HIV/AIDS retrieves a small fraction of this number, but the results will still be broad. Ethiopia +HIV/AIDS +adolescent +transmission +epidemiology +heterosexual will find many fewer documents, but they will be more specific. The only danger of this method is that you can occasionally use too many search terms, which restricts the number of results and sometimes excludes web pages that would be helpful.

    7. Put the most important search terms first. Most searches put records that match your first search term higher in the list of results than records that match your second term, and so on.

    8. Use different search engines, or a metasearch engine. Because different search engines retrieve web pages based on different criteria, what works in some search engines may not work in others. If you are having difficulty with one search engine’s results, try another one. See the list of search engines listed above.

    9. Combine techniques. Mix different techniques together to make searches work better. Try using lots of search terms, then try just a few very specific ones. Another useful technique is combining phrase searches with careful selection of keywords to find exactly what you want. For example, typing “Lion of Judah” Ethiopia Haile Selassie will find records about Haile Selassie and his title as the Lion of Judah. Typing “Lion of Judah” Bible scripture is more likely to find records about the Scriptural verse from which the name “Lion of Judah” comes.

    10. Learn more about searching and search engines. If you want additional tips on how to search, take an online tutorial. A great one can be found at http://www.learnthenet.com/english/section/www.html, but you can also search the Internet for others!

    Another great resource to learn about searching is Search Engine Watch. This website and accompanying electronic newsletter have current information about search engine features, the most effective search engines, helpful tips and tricks, and other valuable information to improve speed and accuracy of searches.

    Top Of Page

    Page last updated 29 January 2003, AIDS Resource Center