Researching on the Internet
因特网上的调查
The Internet is the fastest growing source of information in the world today.
现今,因特网是发展最迅速的信息来源。
There are, however, some things to keep in mind when you use it to do research.
然而,在你做调查的时候,还是要牢牢记住一些事情。
Before you sit down at a computer terminal, read this brief guide to make sure that you use the Internet in the best way possible.
在你做到电脑终端前,应该读一下这个简要指导,以确保你把因特网的使用发挥到最佳。
Step one: choosing a search service
第一步:选择搜索服务
Let's start by looking at the two services you can choose between to assist you in your search: search engines and subject directories.
首先让我们看一看可供你选择的两种帮你搜索的服务功能:搜索引擎和主题目录检索。
Both give you direct links, but the information is chosen and organized in different ways.
他们都会给你直接的链接,但是信息是经过不同方式的筛选和组织的。
Search engines
搜索引擎
Search engines are a type of computer program.
搜索引擎是一种电脑程序。
The links that you get are not classified by subject.
给你的这些链接并非以题目分类。
These engines search the Internet for you based on the key words you type in, and choose web pages for you which contain the words you ask for.
这些搜索引擎基于你输入的关键字(词)进行查找,并帮你选择包含你寻找的词的网面。
The contents they search have not been evaluated.
他们查找的内容还未被评估过。
This means that the information has never been checked --
这意味着这信息还没有检查过——
it could be reliable, true information or false information written by a person without qualifications or someone who does not have the solid facts.
它可能是可靠的、真实的信息,也可能是错误虚假的信息,这些虚假信息往往是不具专业资格的人或没有可靠事实背景的人写的。
The links you obtain from the search engine go to the full articles or pages.
你得到的这些链接直到引入整篇文章或页面。
This requires you to be patient as you have to read the information to decide whether it is linked to what you are researching.
这就要求你非常耐心的阅读这些信息,因为你要判断它是否与你要查找的内容有关。
Examples of famous search engines are Google, Yahoo and Baidu.
著名的搜索引擎有:Google,Yahoo和百度。
You can also go to the www.thesearchenginelist.com website and check their list of search engines.
你也可以到www.thesearchenginelist.com这个网站去核对他们的搜索引擎列表。
Subject directories
主题目录
Subject directories are built by humans.
主题目录是人类建立的。
Someone has combed through pages and links and selected all those that are in the directory.
有人已经从头到尾梳理了页面和链接,并筛选了所有这些在主题目录里。
The results of your search are divided into specific subject categories.
你搜寻的结果按具体的主题进行了分类。
You do not get the full pages to read.
你不用去读所有页面。
Instead, you get a bunch of titles of articles or pages and, sometimes, a short summary of the information they contain.
而你得到的是一束文章或页面的题目,并且,有时候,是他们所包含信息的一个简短的摘要。
You need to decide whether the information is useful to you on that basis.
在此基础上,你需要判断这些信息对你来说是否有用处。
Most often, the information in subject directories has been evaluated, and someone has decided that the information is relevant and correct.
通常情况下,主题目录里的信息是已经被评估过的,而且有人已经判定了信息是相关和正确的。
Being relevant and correct, though, does not equal being up to date.
当然了,相关的和正确的,不等于是最新最近的。