Researching Online for Dummies (with CD-ROM) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Mary Ellen Bates (Author) "Amazing as it may seem, the online world was alive and thriving long before the arrival of the World Wide Web..." (more)
Key Phrases: professional online services, guru pages, gated sites, Dow Jones Interactive, Northern Light, Electric Library (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Although this Dummies book is in the typical informal and irreverent beginner's style, even the most competent searcher will find it invaluable. Author Reva Basch has written the gold standard for books about online research. Wired magazine calls her "the ultimate intelligent agent" for a very good reason. Basch doesn't just give you information on search engines and how to use them. She takes you into the mindset of a professional Net cybrarian, sharing the essential truth about online research. (There is a huge difference between surfing and searching.) In chapters such as "Thinking and Working Like a Researcher," you learn what to do when presented with 42,178 hits--or worse, no hits at all--when using a search engine. Even when you hit pay dirt, Basch explains the importance of evaluating the information you find to make sure it's relevant and accurate.

Basch covers specialty search engines, subject-based catalogs, reference sites, online libraries, and for-pay information services. She takes you to the places where the experts hang out in newsgroups, mailing lists, and online conferencing systems. One especially helpful chapter deals with the mysteries of researching government, medical, and sci-tech information online. The discussion then moves to business-related research, online publications, and many other resources. Then she reveals that sometimes you have to go offline to get what you need and includes helpful print sources.

This terrific volume concludes with the famous Dummies "Part of Tens," including Ten Timeless Truths about Search Engines and Ten Clarifying Questions for Better Research Results. The accompanying CD-ROM has three bonus chapters: "Life Choices," about using the Net to find information on finding a college, a car, a job, and other necessities; "Recreational Interests: Hobbies, Interests, and Leisure-Time Pursuits"; and "Ten Simple Tune-ups for Streamlined Searching." A bonus section on Boolean searches contains one of the better discussions of that misunderstood subject. --Elizabeth Lewis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"...both excellent and current. Anyone who wants to conduct online research should immediately get this volume." -- Microtimes, April 25, 2000

"I've logged on, sent e-mails, played solitaire, and surfed the Net. Then I opened 'Researching Online For Dummies' and, like Alice, fell into a strange and wonderful new land. Now I understand that there is much more to the Internet and Web than my Internet provider has ever shown me. [It] is so comprehensive it goes beyond researching to become a 'how to get the most' from your computer book." -- Technical Communication, Third Quarter 1999, Vol 46, No. 3

"In addition to being a kick-ass guide for researchers, [it] is an excellent guide to the Internet from the perspective of the information junkie." -- Austin Chronicle, November 20, 1998

"Researching Online For Dummies" was recommended in an article on "cyber sleuthing." -- USA Today, June 27, 2000

"Researching Online For Dummies...is simply the best book available on Internet researching." -- San Diego Union-Tribune, October 13, 1998

"The strengths of this particular book is that it provides a balance between giving the reader some helpful wisdom about the rigours of disciplined research work, and then delving into the specifics of concrete research topics" -- Toronto Computes!, September 1999

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2nd edition (February 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764505467
• ISBN-13: 978-0764505461
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #478,564 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have and handy reference for all regardless skill lvl, September 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Researching Online for Dummies (Paperback)

Readable, entertaining, informative, and valuable. What more can you ask from any book? Unskilled researchers wanting to learn something from the subject will find an excellent overview of the necessary skills, tools, and resources, an online researcher needs. Skilled searchers will find a handy reference containing thought provoking ideas. The only problem with the book is due to the etheral nature of the Internet...several examples in the book no longer work as described. Newbies may become disconcerted when following along and finding invalid sites or differences between what the book shows and says and what is experienced on the "real" (?!) internet. To her credit, the author gives ample warning that this may happen. It is the only book of its type that I keep within arm's reach.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FROM A ROOKIE'S PERSEPCTIVE, December 3, 2000

By	Shelley Barnes "ssbarnes" (Trabuco Canyon, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Researching Online for Dummies (Paperback)

As a novice web surfer, Resaerching Online for Dummies (like me) by Revea Basch and Mary Ellen Bates was just what the doctor ordered. From the world behind the web to thinking and working like a researcher, Basch has provided the basic information necessary for understanding what the web is and what it does and does not do.

Before reading this book I thought a search engine was something a mechanic used to find the infamous "clunk" noise no one at the car dealership can hear. However, it wasn't long before I found my self saying things like "maybe I should try excite." Or, "I bet I can use GO to get what I need." Is this OK to post in public?

But, by the time I read the chapter on specialty search engines I felt like I was cruising the inormation superhighway like no one had ever done before. Dot com this and dot com that.

As I continued through the text I did find myself becoming a little annoyed at the pejorative nature of the writing. I guess that's why the title is Researching Online for "Dummies." This minor distraction aside, Basch has done an excellent job of making sense of this hypertechnical computer lingo. One thing is for sure. "I won't leave my home page without it."

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't go online without it!, October 12, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Brussels, Belgium) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Researching Online for Dummies (Paperback)

This is a must-have reference guide, even for seasoned on-line researchers. I keep it on my desk all the time.