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General Web Sites and Search Tools

Remember, anybody can write anything and put it on the Web.
Information found on the internet is not verified by editors or peer reviewers. YOU must decide if the information you obtain comes from a valid source. The following web sites can help:
Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources

 

General Web Site Sources and Search Tool Index:
General Reference | News/Current Information | E-Journals & Newspapers | Grants & Grant Writing | How-To Guides | Search Tools | Subject Guides

Subject Specific Web Site Search Tools are also available.


General Reference

  • AskOxford
    Thesauri, dictionaries, foreign dictionaries, “hip” words, commonly misspelled words, quotes.
  • Background Notes
    Organized by country, these are the same as the Notes in print. You will find: statistics, information on the people, government, laws of the country, and more.
  • Calculators Online
    Links to formulas, methods, and statistics for figuring calendars, cooking measurements, social issues, genetics, and much more.
  • CIA World Factbook
    Maps and information on the nations of the world.
  • Country Studies/Area Handbooks
    Social, economic, political, and cultural descriptions of many countries.
  • Dictionary of Measurement
    Provides a summary of most units of measurement in use around the world - with conversion factors.
  • Encyclopedia Smithsonian
    A to Z links to resources at the Smithsonian Institute.
  • Guide to Online Security
    Protect your computer, password, identity. Viruses, Worms, and other problems.
  • Hoaxbusters
    Want to know if that chain letter is really spam? How about all of that junk mail - is it dangerous to your computer or your mind? Viruses, Trojans, and Cookies, oh my! Check this site to find out the latest information, organized by category, on email fraud, hoaxes, and pesky mail.
  • Mapquest
    Maps & directions
  • NetLingo
    A glossary of internet terms - such as “ear candy.”
  • Official U.S. Time
    The exact time, as provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
  • Oxford English Dictionary
    Historical dictionary covering language from the earliest times to the present day. 
  • Tiny URL.com
    Make a long URL address short!
  • Universal Currency Converter
    Calculates the relative value of any two of over 60 currencies, based on current conversion rates.
  • Zip code lookup

News & Current Information

E-Journals and Newspapers
  • HarpWeek
    Electronic access to Harper's Weekly, the "Journal of Civilization."  Primary resource for examining 19th century America on a cumulative week to week basis during the period from 1857-1877.
  • PubMed Central
    National Library of Medicine digital archive of life sciences journals. Many articles full-text.
  • World Newspapers Online
    Electronic editions of national and international newspapers.

Grants and Grant Writing

How-To
  • APA Research Style Crib Sheet
    Examples of some of the more commonly used rules and reference formats for APA (5th ed.) style, such as: page formats, headings, use of tables, format for 3- 5 authors, and abbreviations to use, plus information on avoiding Bias and Pejorative Language.
  • Carlos & Eddie's Guide to Success With Less Stress
    Citing documents, intellectual property, file sharing and those sticky issues of plagiarism and honesty in resource-sharing.
  • Chicago Manual of Style Online
    Cite guide for the Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.). Click on: Tools, Chicago Style Q&A, or Quick Guide.
  • Guide to Writing Research Papers Based on APA
    Style guide based on the APA Manual 5th edition. Click on any one of the “Students’ Questions” to get an answer to a specific query.
  • How to Avoid Plagiarism
    The site is provided by Penn State University. Explanation of what plagiarism is plus examples to help students avoid the pitfalls.
  • Literature Review: Writing Center-Review of Literature
    Guidelines for writing a review of literature.
  • MLA | Citing MLA Resources
    How to document online sources in MLA format; extensive examples.
  • Using APA Format
    Guidelines on citing information from print, internet, & other resources.
  • What is Plagiarism?
    Clever video presentation prepared by Rutgers University Libraries. There are three sections to the presentation. Start at the beginning - What is Plagiarism?, select Real Life Examples, or try your hand at a quiz show with “guacamoles” as prizes for correct answers. Requires Macromedia Flash to play and speakers to hear the sound. This is fun to watch, but be aware that Rutgers University may have different writing requirements than Aurora University.
  • The Writing Center, University of Wisconsin
    Information on the writing process, grammar and punctuation, improving your writing style, and citing references in your paper.

Search Tools

Subject Guides

  • Best Information on the Net
    Resources by major, hot topics, A to Z index.
  • Illinois Clicks!
    The Citizens Library of Illinois Comprehensive Knowledge Service is a portal to information on: business & investing, arts & entertainment, genealogy & local history, health, books & reading (by subject, author, reviews). Site is maintained by librarians statewide.
  • Internet Public Library
    World-wide newspapers by country or title; full-text.
  • Martindale’s Reference Desk
    Country calling codes, post offices world-wide, maps, flags of the world, treaties, political resources by country, and much more. Site is international in flavor.
  • The WWW Virtual Library subject guide
    This subject guide emphasizes academic subjects.
  • Yale University
    Web subject guides and links maintained by academic librarians.
Rev. September 10, 2007

 

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