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Information Retrieval Methods

The document provides an overview of information retrieval, covering the Internet, web browsers, search engines, and effective search techniques. It emphasizes the importance of the Internet for learning, including research, online tutorials, and communication. Additionally, it outlines criteria for evaluating the quality of information found online.

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natasha muunganirwa
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0 views

Information Retrieval Methods

The document provides an overview of information retrieval, covering the Internet, web browsers, search engines, and effective search techniques. It emphasizes the importance of the Internet for learning, including research, online tutorials, and communication. Additionally, it outlines criteria for evaluating the quality of information found online.

Uploaded by

natasha muunganirwa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

What you will learn about


• The Internet
• Difference between the Internet and the web
• Web browsers
• Search engines
• Information retrieval search strategies
• Evaluation of information
The Internet
• A world-wide network of computers that
allows people to share information
electronically
• Can be accessed anywhere where there is
Internet connection
Connecting to the Internet
• ISP eg in Zimbabwe Telone, Powertel etc
• Your computer connects to the Service
Provider then to the Internet
• There are mainly three ways of connecting to
the Internet: Dial Up – use of telephone,
Wireless connection, High Speed (use of
modem and cable to connect to the Internet)
Coverage
Web browsers
A software application that allows you use to
access information on the World Wide Web.
Examples :
•Internet Explorer
•Mozilla Firefox
•Google Chrome
The Internet and Web Browsers
• The Internet is the physical connection of
millions of computer networks
• The Web uses the Internet for its existence
• The Web is a collection of interconnected
documents and other resources linked by
hyperlinks and uniform resource locators
(URLs)
Finding information
Tools to find information on the web:
• Search engines
• Metasearch engines
• Subject directories
Search Engines
• Allow you to look for Web pages containing
some words or phrases
• Built by computer “spider” robot programs
• NOT organized by subject categories
• Contain full-text articles
• Often retrieve huge amounts of information
• Not evaluated – contain good and bad sites
Examples : Google, Alta vista
Using Search Engines
• To use a search engine, you:
– Choose a search engine (Google, MSN, Lycos,
Alta-Vista, Yahoo, etc).
– Type in one or more words describing your topic.
• The search engine checks its database of Web
pages that contain the words typed.
• The results are sent to your computer.
• Clicking on the link takes you to that page
Metasearch engines
• Search multiple search engines at once
• User has limited control in how searches are
conducted
• Quick, but not thorough
• Most of them omit GOOGLE
Example: Dogpile
Subject Directories
• Built by humans!
• Organized by subject
• NEVER contain full-text of the web pages
• Often carefully evaluated and annotated
Example YAHOO
Effective search techniques
• Information search techniques covered earlier
are used to search for information on the
Internet
• These include :
Keyword searching
Phrase searching
Boolean logic
Truncation
Wildcards
Importance of the Internet to learning
• Research
can be used for searching information for an assignment ,
presentation or research projects. It also facilitates
collaboration in doing assignments and research via email,
google suite
• Online tutorials
Internet enables students in different locations to connect and
do classes online tutorials. Students can also download a
lecture on YouTube
• Students Assessment
marking and submission of assignments online via email,
learning platforms e.g Moodle
Importance of the Internet in
learning cont…
Information access
Internet provides access to diversity of information resources eg
electronic books, journals, educational videos
Information sharing
sharing information resources among lecturers and students e.g
lecture notes, course outlines,
Communication
•Students can communicate with their lecturers online via email,
facebook
Evaluation of Internet Information
1. Author – Who is the author?
2. Sources – Where does the information come from?
3. Server – Who provides the server for the page?
4. Objectivity – Is the information objective or one-
sided?
5. Coverage – How thoroughly did the author cover a
certain topic? Did he focus only on one aspect or
more?
6. Purpose – What is the purpose of the page?
7. Accuracy – Is the information accurate?
8. Currency – Is the page up-to-date?

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