Tools and Sites for Finding Useful Academic Information

PINAKES: Subject Launchpad. - A good place to start looking for academic kinds of information on the Web. Organized into a wide range of subject categories. (The site is British so Americans may find it a bit strange)

Speakout.com  A great place to look for very recent information as well as background on current events, political and public policy issues, controversial topics, etc.

The Scout Report.  A good place to begin academic research on the Web for most projects

FEDSTATS A great source for finding data collected by the Federal Government because you don't have to know which agency collected the data to find it through this source. Check it out

How to Search the Internet Effectively and Efficiently

Barebones  A site created by the Library at the University of South Carolina,  Great basic advice on using search engines and avoiding a list of thousands of (mostly useless) hits.  Spending a few minutes here can save you a lot of time and trouble later!!

Evaluating Web Resources - The Widener College site with links to criteria for evaluating lots of different types of Web resources.  Good Stuff!

The Spider's Apprentice  A site specifically devoted to discussing the differences between search engines like Yahoo? Google, FAST, Alta Vista, etc.  Rates search engines on various tasks.  Explains "metatags."  Good Stuff and up to date

Resources for Scholarly Writing

Columbia Guide to Online Style  The internet site listed in the Freshman Seminar "plagiarism" exercise created by Janice Walker. Describes MLA citation style for electronic sources.  (I prefer the style guide Online to this one.)

Directory - Scholarly & Professional Electronic Conferences The easiest way to find lists and discussions by scholars and professionals in various fields.

Documenting Sources  The Purdue University Library's starting point with links to lots of pages that will show you how to list information you find on the Internet in the footnotes and reference sections of your papers, as well as ideas on effective use of the internet, and how to cite print sources.

Infoplease.com.  A very convenient site for finding basic reference information (like a big almanac).  It has dictionaries, an encyclopedia, multiple almanacs, links to current event information, biographies, etc.  I'd bookmark this site.

Purdue On-line Writing Lab One of the best Web-based centers for providing assistance and resources for writers.  One of the best Web-based centers providing assistance and resources for writers.