Find it Online: The Complete Guide to Online Research, Third Edition (Paperback)

by Alan M Schlein (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Since its first publication in 1994, this guide has been an essential tool for journalists, researchers, lawyers, professors, librarians, business executives, and students. The new edition has been updated by award-winning journalist Schlein to include tips and search strategies from 20 information industry experts. In the introduction, Schlein states that he aimed to make the work "considerably more global in focus," and in fact the title does not do it justice. This is more than an annotated list of thousands of web sites-it is a coaching tool that shows readers how to do comprehensive and reliable research in hundreds of disciplines, regardless of information container. Schlein explains when a particular set of data is best found on a free or fee-based web site. When no digital source exists, he refers readers to the "best" container, whether it is a print resource or a person. Unfortunately, this book does not explain where to find information about P2P (peer-to-peer) file-sharing systems such as KaZaA, so information about music research is scarce. Online music resources are better discussed in Chris Sherman and Gary Price's The Invisible Web. Another weakness is the lack of an accurate well-crafted index. Instead, the index functions as a keyword list and not a topic guide (e.g., "separated by adoption" and "minor traffic violations" are main entries and are not cross-referenced under their respective subjects). These faults aside, this work is still well recommended for all libraries because of its comprehensiveness; other similar works, like Reva Basch's now dated Researching Online for Dummies, are targeted to newbies and specific audiences.
Kara L. Giles, Dominican Univ. Lib., River Forest, IL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"A real live boon of a book that cuts through the Internet jungle to give us the information we need." -- The Book Reader, 2001

Find It Online is useful reference guide for novice and experienced searchers alike . . . a real bargain. -- SearchDay, August 27, 2002

Readable and timely, this handbook skillfully provides access to that modern marvel that both clarifies and confuses - the Internet. -- The Book Reader Fall/Winter 2002-3

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Product Details

• Paperback: 520 pages
• Publisher: Facts on Demand Press; 3rd edition (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889150290
• ISBN-13: 978-1889150291
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #490,109 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Online Research Guide for Beginners, October 26, 2000

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Find It Online: The Complete Guide to Online Research, Second Edition (Paperback)

This book deserves more than 5 stars for making the Internet fully accessible to anyone for a minimum of cost in time and money.

If you have enough skill to turn on your computer and get onto the Internet, this book will take you where you want to go in the fastest, least frustrating way. Within hours, you will be more efficient and effective than people who have done online research for years, but have not yet read this book.

Although Web addresses and sites will change, the best basic methods of how to do research online will shift much less often. You should be able to apply what you learn from this book for some time to come.

Some of the many helpful things you will learn include:

(1) which search engines work best for which kinds of questions

(2) how to get the fewest possible sites from a search with the greatest likelihood that they will be helpful to you

(3) which sources of information to go to directly without a search first

(4) how to assess the credibility of a source

(5) how to get things for free that most people pay for

(6) when to spend money to save time

(7) how to manage your e-mail to spend less time on it.

You will also benefit from three sample search models in chapter 12, one for finding a person, another for doing a business profile, and a third for problem solving. Most of your searches will involve one of these three search types.

An area you may not think about now is what people can learn about you while you do your research. The sections on privacy issues and how you can protect yourself are outstanding.

About a third of the book is devoted to indexes to make it easier for you to find government public records and the right Web site for your research needs.

Even though I have been doing online research for many years, I plan to keep this book next to my computer from now on. If you read many of my reviews, you will notice that that is something I rarely say about a book.

After you have finished learning how to do better and faster online research with this wonderful resource, I suggest that you step back and think about new questions that you should be asking now that you have improved access to good and timely information. For example, should you be doing more to check out investments? Or should you be learning more about becoming a better parent? Or spouse? Asking and answering those questions will probably be the biggest payoff you can get from this very helpful guide.

Be rich in knowledge and turn it into wisdom!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb Reference Lacking CD-ROM or Online Version, November 15, 2004

By	Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Find It Online, Fourth Edition: The Complete Guide to Online Research (Find It Online: The Complete Guide to Online Research) (Paperback)

This is the second of three basic guides by Facts on Demand press that I am very happy to have in my collection and to recommend to others.

Some really top-notch information brokers contributed to this book, and it is a superb reference, well-organized, that lacks a CD-ROM with clickable links or an Online Version to which access can be gained for a fee or from a password in the printed version.

This book is extremely well-developed to the point that it can meet the needs of a first-time researcher eager to become quickly familiar with the ins and outs of the Internet, as well as the more experienced professional that wants a handy reference work to suggest new sources and methods.

The other two books are Helen Burwell's Online Competitive Intelligence, 2nd Edition: Increase Your Profits Using Cyber-Intelligence--the one book to buy if you can only buy one of these three books--and Sankey & Weber's Public Records Online, 6th Edition: The Master Guide to Private & Goverment Online Sources of Public Records (Public Records Online) (buy only if you have do work in this area or want to protect yourself by monitoring your divorced spouse's assets, etc.)

See also:
The New Craft of Intelligence: Personal, Public, & Political--Citizen's Action Handbook for Fighting Terrorism, Genocide, Disease, Toxic Bombs, & Corruption
Information Operations: All Information, All Languages, All the Time

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eureka! I can do it, March 13, 2000

By	Elaine Barton (Medford, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Find It Online: The Complete Guide to Online Research, Second Edition (Paperback)

When Mr. Schlein spoke at a recent seminar, he asked Internet novices to raise their hands. As one severely computer-challenged I did't put mine up, as I had yet achieve that level. However, as a journalist, I picked up the second edition "Find It Online," came home, and started trying to search sites as he described. Wonder of wonders, it worked. The book is written with clarity, in an understandable way and contains a wealth of information for the neophyte as well as for the expert. It is an invaluable tool and a great ego-booster as well.