The RSCC Online Writing Lab

If you know how to use a browser, skip to How to Cite a Web Source.

Using a Browser

1. Visit a computer lab which has Netscape or Explorer installed and open the program by double clicking on the icon.  A home page will open.  It may be the RSCC home page, or the RSCC Online Writing Lab home page, or something else, depending upon what the lab has chosen.

2. Look at the Screen.

3. At the top of the screen, you will see the name of the browser followed by the name of the page you are on.  This is the title bar.

4. Below that, you should see a series of buttons, including “back,” “forward,” “home,” and “print.”  These buttons help you navigate back and forth between sites and pages.  The “home” button takes you to the home page for the computer you are using, and the “print” button allows you to print information.

5. Below the buttons, you will see a location box.  This box is important, as it shows the current address (or URL, Uniform Resource Locator) for the page which you are on.  If you are conducting research, it is necessary to write down this URL so that you can use it in your citation or bibliography.  It can also be difficult to find the site again should you need to, so it is wise to jot it down immediately.  Some versions of Web browsers print out the address at the top of the page.

6. The home page itself follows. You can scroll up and down the page by using the scroll bar on the right side.  As you do so, you will probably notice links, or colored, underlined words, titles, or URLs.  Clicking on any of these links will take you to the information mentioned (on a new page). You can then use the “back” button to return to the first page.

7. Below the home page is a line which will change as you put the mouse arrow on different links on the page.  It is also a status bar, which tells you that a site is being or has been accessed and when it is fully loaded.  The red bar also indicates whether or not a site is loading. Watch the line and bar as a new site loads and you’ll get the idea.  Don’t rush the loading process by clicking on something before the document is fully loaded. That’s a good way to lock up a machine.

8. Now that you’ve looked at the screen, you should also use one of the drop-down menus. Go to the File menu, open it, and choose “Open Location.”  A box will open.  Click on that box and type in one of the following addresses:  (1) http://www.rockhall.com/ or (2) http://www.usatoday.com/.  There are no spaces in a URL and no period at the end. If you do notice a period, it's because the URL falls at the end of a sentence!

Congratulations, you have accessed your first document.

Search Engines/Directories

If you don’t have the address of a site you want to visit, then you must use one of the Web’s search engines or directories.  There are quite a few, including Webcrawler, Alta Vista, Yahoo, and others.  Most computers should have one of these search engines listed under the drop-down “Bookmarks” menu, and there is also a “Net Search” button.
 

A search page will come up, and you then type in what you are looking for in the blank box.  As a rule, search engines work like a giant index.  You might type in “rainforests” or “Amazon rainforest.”  You will then get a page which tells you the number of entries found.  If “rainforest” is typed in, you might get thousands of entries. If a more specific search is conducted, you’ll get fewer entries. Type in “Amazon Rainforest,” for instance, and you’ll get approximately 400 entries, with the best matches first.
 

Other methods are used to narrow or define a search even further. To print a list of these, visit "Limiting Your Searches: Keyword Searches and Boolean Operators," by Janice Walker. This site appears under "Online Citation Guides" on The English Pages.

Once your search results are in, visit the sites the engine finds by clicking on the links.  The results are usually shown ten pages at a time. To view the next ten pages, click on the button at the bottom of the page.

Appraisal of a Site

Note that the author’s name may be found at the bottom of the page or on the home page. Frequently, you’ll have to scroll to the bottom of the page and search for a link to the main home page. If no other author is given, you may have a corporate author, which is common. Just be sure that your document is unbiased and professional. Avoid using sources which use poor citations themselves or which are unsigned or badly written. Remember, even children publish on the Web. Your own paper can be vastly improved by using legitimate sources, or it can be severely damaged by using inappropriate sources as that indicates poor judgment on your part. Get as much information about your source as possible. If the source is legitimate, more than likely you’ll find such information. The reference librarians at Cornell University suggest that you ask yourself the following:

1.    Does the site give the author’s credentials--educational background, past writings, or experience--in the area? Is the article written on a topic in the author’s area of expertise? Has your instructor mentioned this author? Have you seen the author’s name cited in other bibliographies? Is the author associated with an institution or organization? What are the basic values or goals of the organization or institution? [Example: Is the association/institution Harvard University or Heaven's Gate?]

2.    When was the article published? The date often appears at the bottom of a web page, and it is occasionally updated. Is the article current or out-of-date for your topic? Some areas create rapid change, such as the field of science, while others, like humanities, may use work written long ago. Who is the publisher? Is it a university press? If so, it is likely that the article is reputable, but that is still not a guarantee of quality.

3.    How is the article written and what type of audience is targeted? Is the publication aimed at a specialized or general audience? Is the source “too elementary, too technical, too advanced, or just right” for your needs? Does the work update other sources or add new information? Is the article organized well? Are the main points clearly presented? (Ormondroyd, Engle, and Cosgrave).

Ormondroyd, Joan, Michael Engle and Tony Cosgrave. “How to Critically Analyze Information Services.” Olin Kroch
        Uris Libraries: Research Services Division. Cornell University Library. 15 April 1997. <http://www.library.
        cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill26.htm> 3 Nov. 1999.

For additional information concerning appraising web sources, check out the following links:

Validating Web Sites: A Webliography in Progress
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Or Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources
Evaluating Internet Research Sources
Evaluating Web Resources
 

Last updated: June 6, 2001

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