Research Methods

AND operator

a boolean operator that connects keywords in a search query

OR operator

a boolean operator that connects keywords in a search query

HTML

a coded format language used to create and control the appearance of documents

Spider

a computer program that scans, or crawls, the Web to index pages

Portal

a large web gateway providing access to huge amounts of information

Algorithm

A mathematical formula used by a search engine to rank each Web site returned in search results according to the terms used in the search query

Filters

a program used by search tools, usually from Advanced Search pages, to specifically include or exclude Web pages according to criteria such as language, file, format, date, and domain

Hierarchy

a ranked order

Complex Query

a search query that uses Boolean operators to define the relationships between keywords and phrases in a way that search tools can interpret

Subject Guide

a search tool that hierarchially arranges links to Web pages

Metasearch engine

a search tool that searches the indexes of multiple search engines simultaneously

Annotation

a summary or review of a Web page, usually written by experts, such as professionals , academics in the field, or librarians

Trailblazer Page

a web page that links to numerous sites covering all aspects of a topic

Keyword Search

an important word that describes a major concept of your search topic

Drilling Down

clicking through subject headings to reach relevant links

Database

collection of data that can be retrieved using organized search procedures

Boolean operators

command words such as AND, OR, AND NOT that narrow, expand, or restrict a search based on Boolean logic

Distributed Subject Guide

created by a variety of editors working somewhat independently and usually stored on numerous computers around the country or the world

Quantitative

describes any approach where the phenomenon under study is captured via measurement and expressed in numbers that can be analyzed

Qualitative

designates any research whose results are captured in words, images, or nonnumeric symbols

Venn Diagram

drawings, typically compromised of interacting circles, used to illustrate boolean logic or searches using boolean operators

Explicatory

entails a careful, close, and focused examination of a single major text, or of evidence surrounding a single complex event,in an attempt to understand one or more aspects of it

AND NOT

A boolean operator that connects keywords in a search query. its narrows a search

Theoretical

entails a speculation on the part of the researcher, and is usually based on the findings of other kinds of studies, in an attempt to account for or predict the behavior of a phenomenon

Authority

every field of knowledge has its experts, its wise voices, its people who understand the field better than any of this

Longitudinal

follows a phenomenon over time; often used in educational or medical studies where the individuals in a group are periodically reexamined at specific intervals over many years

Phrase searching

forcing the search tool to search only for pages containing a phrase, or two or more words together in a certain order

Interview

includes any sort of conversation that addresses a specific experience or issue about which the interviewee is knowledgeable, involves questions prepared in advance, and is recorded in its entirety

Library

involves identifying and locating sources that provide factual information or personal/expert opinion

Archival

involves the researcher in a close study of original documents- typically collected and retained by governments, organizations, or families

Specialized search engine

limits the Web pages it indexes by subject

Field

occurs wherever the phenomenon under study exists, meaning the researcher goes to that location

Invisible Web

part of the Web inaccessible to search engine spiders

Intersection

place where two sets overlap in a Venn Diagram

Survey

poses a series of questions to a group of people with specific responses for individuals to choose from: usually captures demographic and socioeconomic information as well

Empirical

refers to studies using experiment or observation to test the validity of a phenomenon

Evaluative Criteria

standards used to determine if a Web site is appropriate for your needs

Observational

takes place either in a laboratory or in the field, but entails capturing an exact record of some behavior

Experimental

takes place in a dedicated environment, typically a labratory, and involves specific equipment and procedural steps

Default Operator

the boolean search operator that a search engine automatically uses in a query, whether typed as part of the query or not

Domain

the last two or three letters of the URL

Scope

the range of topics covered by a Web site

Truncation

using an astrick for the ending

Forcing the order of operation

using parentheses in a complex query to force the search tool to look at the words inside the parentheses

Literature review

usually the first portion of a paper that plans to report a study or experiment done in a social scientific or scientific setting