Search engines are your entry to the internet. They search through volumes of information and make decisions about what to show you based on your search term. But with so much data to sift through, how do search engines work?
A search engine uses algorithms to determine what shows up first, second, third, etc. in a list of results, Without algorithms you’d just get a completely random set of results, which wouldn’t be very useful. Algorithms.are individual lines of code, or step-by-step instructions computers follow to complete tasks, solve problems, and make automated decisions. Algorithms power nearly everything we see online, including search engines, social media, video games, online dating, and smartphone apps.
Approach information from the Web that you use to support your ideas and arguments in a research paper or other assignment, carefully.
Comparison: Library Sources vs. Web Sources
Library Resources - Academic and Public Libraries
Web Resources - Websites, Social Media
Key Definitions
Users of the web need to be both wary and smart.
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.au - Australia | |
.in - India | |
.br - Brazil | |
.it - Italy | |
.ca - Canada | |
.mx - Mexico | |
.fr - France | |
.tw - Taiwan | |
.il - Israel | |
Look for the ABOUT link!
"NPR is an independent, nonprofit media organization that was founded on a mission to create a more informed public. Every day, NPR connects with millions of Americans on the air, online, and in person to explore the news, ideas, and what it means to be human. Through its network of member stations, NPR makes local stories national, national stories local, and global stories personal."
Sometimes an About page will reflect a bias or specific point of view, so read through it carefully and remember to ask questions:
Anything on the web that does not have an About link is probably not credible. Close the page and find something else.