Introduction to
Research in the Electronic Age

Janice R. Walker
Georgia Southern University
Dept. of Writing and Linguistics

Table of Contents

Zach S. Henderson Library Home Page
Internet Search Engines
Email, Listservs, and Newsgroups
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Gopher
Telnet
Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
BBSs and Other Online Sources
Internet Starting Points

Zach S. Henderson Library Home Page

The starting point for most research is the library. Nowadays, however, that doesn't necessarily mean leaving home. The Zach S. Henderson Library home page offers students and faculty access to the library catalog,  to online databases and other Georgia libraries through Galileo , and to other databases licensed for use by students at faculty at Georgia Southern University. Many databases are full text, that is, they offer full-text versions of articles and other materials.

In addition to our own library, many libraries around the world (including the Library of Congress) have put their library catalogs online. Searching databases such as Dissertation Abstracts International, the MLA Bibliography, Readers Guide Abstracts, or Books in Print can help you locate this information. The library databases can help you locate where the material is housed almost anywhere in the world. Once you have located the material, then, you can order print copies, sometimes for a fee (i.e., Dissertation Abstracts International charges around $30 for a printed copy of a dissertation; other materials may be available via fax or email), sometimes for free through interlibrary loan programs, or even on the WWW.
 

  • Zach S. Henderson Library Home Page, (http://www2.gasou.edu/library/)
  • Library of Congress, (http://lcweb.loc.gov/homepage/lchp.html)
  • National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD), (http://www.theses.org/)


    • See also: Internet Starting Points

    Internet Search Engines

    There are many different Internet search engines. Most of them use similar search queries, usually plain English keywords and Boolean operators. Since different search engines may search different types of sites, if you don't find what you are looking for with one, try a different one. And keep in mind that the Internet is constantly changing, so the results you obtain on one day may be quite different on another. Keep a record of important Internet addresses in your bookmarks file or write them down. For citation purposes, you may also want to keep a record of the date you accessed the sites and any other pertinent information.
  • Introduction to Boolean Searching (http://www.lib.utulsa.edu/guides/boolean.htm)
  • Purdue University's OWL "Internet Research Starting Points"  (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/netsearch/research.html)
  • Ilene Frank's Search Tools for the Web, University of South Florida


    • See also: Internet Starting Points

    Email, Listservs, and Newsgroups

    Electronic mail, or email, listservs, and Internet newsgroups can all be sources of information for a research project. Many listservs and newsgroups archive messages, and many can be searched using various search engines. They can also be good places to ask questions or to find out about other sources. However, before using information obtained using e-mail or listserv messages, make sure you get permission and give proper credit.

    Some email lists and newsgroups are informal or classroom discussion lists. Some, such as clarinet are fee-for-subscription services that offer up-to-the-hour news reporting. Newsgroups come in all shapes and sizes, from the raunchy alt.whatever groups to the moderated groups offering expert information on a wide variety of topics. You can find listservs with a search engine such as Tile.Net or search through newsgroups using Deja.com. Some listservs, newsgroups, and email programs such as HyperNews can be read on the WWW using a browser, or you may be able to read them in your Internet e-mail editor.
     

  • Tile.Net (http://www.tile.net/)
  • Google Groups (http://groups.google.com)
  • Catlist (http://www.lsoft.com/catalist.html)


    • See also: Internet Starting Points

    File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

    The acronym "FTP" stands for "File Transfer Protocol," but the same acronym is also used to name the sites and many of the programs that use the protocol, i.e, you use FTP (the program) to login to an FTP site (the computer host) so you can download files using FTP (the protocol). Computer users can use FTP to upload and download text, graphics, sound files, programs, and much more from sites around the world. Many of these sites offer anonymous FTP (where users login as "anonymous" and type their e-mail address for a password). Various FTP programs are available, including ftp and ncftp, which may already be on your UNIX host, or point-and-click programs such as WS_FTP that reside on your personal computer and require a PPP (or Point-to-Point protocol) connection can be downloaded for free on the WWW.  Most FTP sites can also be accessed using graphical browsers, such as Netscape, and the "ftp://address" formula (for example, ftp://ftp.daedalus.com). FTP sites can be searched using similar search protocols to gopher searches, including Archie searches.
     
  • About FTP Searches (gopher://gopher.tc.umn.edu:70/11/FTP%20Searches)


    • See also: Internet Starting Points

    Gopher

    A gopher is a furry little rodent that burrows tunnels underground and causes endless grief to gardeners. It is also a menu-driven system to find and retrieve documents by tunneling through Gopherspace on the Internet. Documents, files, and directories on the Internet are structured somewhat like the directory tree you many be familiar with in the Windows File Manager program. Gopher is one of the earliest protocols for searching the Net, and does not necessarily require access to a graphical browser such as Netscape. You can, therefore, search gopherspace in more than one way. For example, your host may provide access to a gopher server through your Unix server:

    chuma> gopher marvel.loc.gov

    You can also access this site using a graphical browser, and the address:

    gopher://marvel.loc.gov

  • Veronica and Jughead (http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~serdar93/internet/veronica.html)


    • See also: Internet Starting Points

    Telnet

    Telnet is an application that allows you to login to a remote computer and access its files and programs. Most telnet sites will require you to have an account on their server, with a login name and password. You may use telnet protocols to login to your school computer from home. Once connected, you can work in that computer just as if you had accessed it directly. Many libraries allow telnet access to their catalogs, and most MOOs and MUDs (real-time synchronous communication sites on the Internet) use telnet protocols. Telnet sites, like most Internet sites, can also be accessed using a WWW broswer and the address form "telnet://address" (for example, telnet://damoo.csun.edu:7777). Like browsers and FTP software, there are various client programs available for telnet applications. Some may already be installed on your Unix or other host computer and others are available for free downloading on the Internet.
     
  • WebTeacher's Tutorial on Telnet (http://www.webteacher.org/winnet/telnet/telnet.html)
  • Telnet Tips (http://library.usask.ca/hytelnet/telnet.html)
  • Center for Teaching Enhancement Workshop on Synchronous Communication, (http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/walker/papers/cte/cte.html)


    • See also: Internet Starting Points

    Internet Relay Chat (IRC)

    Internet Relay Chat (or IRC) is probably one of the most popular (and well-known) forms of synchronous communication, or real-time conferencing. Many of our open-use labs on campus are tied up by students communicating with other people on the Internet all over the world using IRC protocols. More recent technological developments and the proliferation of multimedia computers have meant a wide variety of development in IRC client programs, as well, including programs that allow for real-time audio and video as well as text communication, including programs such as ichat and CUSeeMe.

    IRC is vaguely similar to the very popular and easy-to-use America On-Line "chat rooms," with separate channels available for various topics. You may also set up your own channels and moderate discussions, if desired. A text-only IRC client may be available on your Unix host system or free GUI (graphical user interface) IRC client programs (such as mIRC) are readily available on the WWW for free downloading, so one distinct advantage is there is no cost associated with using this software. The learning curve is steeper than with some proprietary discussion software, such as the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment (DIWE) Interchange program, but IRC is not extremely difficult to learn. And it does not limit the classroom to a single physical location as some LAN (Local Area Network) conferencing software may do.
     

  • EFNet's #IRCHelp Page (http://www.irchelp.org)


    • See also: Internet Starting Points

    BBSs and Other Online Sources

    In addition to the Internet and local area networks, bulletin board services (BBSs) offer an array of files, programs, chat rooms, newsgroups and forums, reference sources, and other information. Many BBSs are local and are accessed similarly to the Internet: you dial a local number and connect, usually as a visitor until you request an account. Many BBSs are free, some BBSs offer Internet access of varying kinds, usually email and Bitnet or Usenet Newsgroups, and some of the larger commercial BBSs, like America Online and Prodigy, offer customers access to WWW browsers and space on their server for home pages.

    Internet Starting Points


    © J. Walker, 1997, 1998, 1999.
    Last modified 5 November 2001.