Finding good information on the web

What's on the Web?

Information gets on the Web in a couple of different ways:

1. From print to the Internet. Most of the information you might want to use for your research was in print first. It might have appeared in a newspaper, a magazine, or even in a book. Sometimes the author tries to make the information more available by putting it on the Internet, and sometimes it gets added to a site that is only available by subscription. A subscription service will give you access to many periodicals at once. An example of a subscription service is the magazine index to periodicals from NC Wiseowl. Sometimes, subscription services charge money, but check with your media specialist — maybe your school library subscribes to this service.
2. From a government or educational program. If the information you need is something that is researched by the government, a university or a museum, you are in luck. Most of the great information on the Internet is created by government organizations such as the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which tracks storms and weather, or the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which created the World Factbook with information about people in countries all around the world. Great museum websites bring the work of scientists and researchers to you no matter where you live. Try the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California.

If it's "out there," how do I find it?

There are many ways to find sources on the Web. Depending on how much experience you have, try one of the following:

1. An Internet tutorial. The KidsClick! Worlds of Web Searching tutorial will take you on a guided tour of the Internet. Climb onboard for a cyberspace adventure!
2. Search engines. Even search engines have their own things that they're "good at." Use the NoodleTools Search Engine page to decide what tool is best for finding what you need.
3. NoodleTools. NoodleQuest will ask you some questions about the information you need. From your answers, NoodleQuest makes a list of places on the Internet that have the kind of information you're searching for. If your Media Specialist is not available at the moment, this is the next best way to figure out where to look!