My fist search tool I had conducted my searching was with Virtual library. I decide to use this method, because I want to try to find virtual library that is keeping track of history of viruses. Use of search engine within the library doesn’t also give you unrelated hits about other meanings of the keyword (like viruses might be also viruses in the medicine). Also you don’t need to know exactly the topic, because you can just simply go through virtual library directory. (you can go to computers and then look for software, anti-virus software and so on).
I started with Echo – Virtual Center of Science and Technology on the URL http://echo.gmu.edu/center/, where I used virtual library search engine for my keyword “history of computers”. I got four matching sites. I chose link history of computers on URL http://www.hitmill.com/computers/computerhx1.html, then General Computer History List link and from the displayed link list I chose again Viruses: History of Computer Viruses link.
search1a result
The quality of result is not too good, because it’s an article of only one author describing history of viruses not really in the form I wanted. Also it was from 1992. However website www.hitmill.com gave me some other links for further research using different tools (TechWeb encyclopedia)
This time I stroll the directories in the same virtual library, following the link Computers/ Info Technology. I got 324 matching sites found, I then followed link Charles Babbage Institute: Center for the history of computing and Resources > websites, where I found 10 sites related to history or computing like World-Wide Web Virtual Library - History of Science, Technology and Medicine. In fact only one was interesting and it was encyclopedia Webopedia: http://www.webopedia.com/.
search1b result
The quality of result again didn’t meet my expectation. I haven’t found any virtual library, which would be keeping track of computer viruses. However I found some websites that could be useful to explore.
When I used this search tool, I intended to get broader understanding of my topic and gather some new interesting resources and definitions. Understanding of topic would then be very helpful, when creating the syntax for standard search engines. Definitions then can be part of my essay.
Using resources from virtual library search1a, I went to TechWeb what is information technology encyclopedia listing over 20000 terms in URL http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/
My keyword for TechWeb was just “virus”. I got the result as a definition of term and 25 links to other related words definitions plus 2 useful website about viruses. I explored appropriate definition or those, which looked useable.
From mentioned websites I explored both and I include them also in my result for the search1b, as they are even more exhaustive to my topic.
To comment the quality, using encyclopedia turned out to be very handful, as they didn’t give me just explanation of the term, but also websites with more specific details.
search2a result
search2aS result
search2aW result
Using resources from virtual library search1b, I went to WebOpedia what is online encyclopedia of computer technology in URL http://www.webopedia.com/. I used again encyclopedia as the previous search had given to me a lot of valuable information and also to exhaust resources found in virtual library search1b.
I used again words “virus” to get the definition. Result contains a definition plus 17 links to related terms’ definition and 19 websites about computer viruses.
I got mostly general information talking about the terms’ definitions or then too specific on the websites. (Like detailed description of last month viruses). Encyclopedia doesn’t give me any irrelevant information, but the resource is limited to material stored and the web site links listed.
search 2b result
I optioned for this search tool in the effort to get particular information (like what is the first virus or the oldest) by power of machine. Using meta-search engine also allowed me to increase searched area by compiling databases of other search engines.
I chose Excite what is an engine combining the search result from 13 different search engines and allow you to select only certain number of best results for each engine. Then you are able to compare results without trying each engine separately.
My first keyword had syntax “first computer virus” and I got 78 hits.
For using this search tool I’m urged by reliability and better quality of the result. Firstly a Journal database offers access to the full text resources. Secondly as a resource of information on the net Journal databases are more reliable than any other source except online books, because journals must go through similar process as published books before they are issued.
For my search of databases I used the access gate CSU library databases. I chose specific area, what was Information technology. From list of databases I tried ProQuest, from list of collections a computing I was to search with the syntax “virus? AND computer? AND Internet” for only full text resources and within 1986-1998 years. Virus was selected as an article title, computer as an abstract, Internet as an abstract. I received 72 hits. From the same search, but for years 1999-2003 I received 195 hits.
To find more information from different journals’ source I did my fifth search again with journal database. I optioned for Factiva from journal databases available. My first trial syntax was: "latest computer virus*" OR "new virus" " and I select in last month and full text resources. I got 51 hits.
My second trial was: "latest computer virus*"OR ”new virus NOT (cold OR flu OR encephalitis)" and I got 33 hits.
My third trial was: "history of computer viruses" and full article, any dates were chosen. I got 17 hits.
My fourth trial was: "history of computer viruses" NOT "anti-virus software" and full article, any dates were chosen. I got 15 hits.
search 5d result
To comment my search on the journal databases, they gave me the best quantity and in the same time good quality information at all from all other search methods. It was because, in the database you are able to select databases only for your specific topic and search just those journals. They don’t give you irrelevant result as with standard search engine and you can even influence the result by better means of selective tools in database search engine.
search 3a result
My next keyword had syntax "latest computer virus*" and I got 72 hits. I refine the syntax and used instead previous "latest computer virus*" NOT "*virus software" and I got 52 hits.
search 3ab result
search 3ac result
My next keyword had syntax "history of computer viruses" and I got 70 hits.
search 3ad result
In the quality this search tool gave me better result than virtual libraries or encyclopedias in the terms that I could access broader resources and formulate my keyword to get expected result. I also moved from in the way active looking up through links and pages to passive changing my keyword for fewer hits and better quality result, letting the engine to do the job.
Journal Database
Search4a
search 4a result
search4b result
Next syntax was “virus? AND computer?” only to enlarge the result for time period 1999-2003. I received 855 hits. Further it was reduced to 715 hits by adding “AND NOT anti-virus OR software” to the syntax to not be in article title. To get rid of the rest of anti-virus articles or guilty virus writers I introduced “OR protect? OR guilty OR charge?” to the syntax to not be found in the abstract. The result was this time diminished to 354 hits.
search4c result
search4d result
search4e result
Search5a
search 5a result
Search5b
search 5b result
Search5c
search 5c result
Search5d
VISIT MY NEW HOMEPAGE AT www.patrikseibert.info