Glossary of Research Terms 

Bibliography/Works Cited - is a list of books, periodical articles or other materials that you used in writing your paper.

Boolean Searching - In searching a database, internet, or card catalog you use operators such as AND, OR, and NOT. They are sometimes combined to broaden or narrow the results of a keyword search.

Boolean operators - The three most commonly used Boolean operators are: AND, OR, and NOT. In Boolean searching, an "AND" operator between two words (for example, "apples AND oranges") tells the search engine to find documents that contain both of these words. An "OR" operator (for example, "pear OR apple") tells the search engine to find documents that contain either of the words. A "NOT" operator (for example, "berries" NOT raspberries") tells the search engine to find documents containing only one of the words.

Bookmark/Favorites - A web page that you save using your Web browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape) to access easily in the future.

Browser - Short for Web browser, a software program used to locate and display Web pages. The two most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer.

Browsing - To look leisurely or randomly through a library collection, book, magazine or other publications. Recently it also means scanning through Web pages for information.

Call Numbers - Each item in the library collection is given a call number that allows users to locate the material in the stacks.

Card Catalog - A networked program that is available on any computer within the school to search for materials usually housed within your school library.

Database - A collection of information that a computer program has on specific topics of information and data. Usually a subscription and can only be accessed by those who pay for access to the database

Domain name - The part of the URL that identifies the specific computer on the Web that holds the information you are requesting

Extensions - The three-letter suffix that is part of a URL. For example, in the URL www.archives.gov, the extension is .gov. Other extensions include .com, .edu, and .org.

Home page - The first screen viewed when visiting a Web site. The home page typically provides a table of contents links to the rest of the site.

Internet - The terms Internet and World Wide Web are often used interchangeably, but they're actually not the same. The Internet is a global network connecting millions of computers worldwide. More than 100 countries use this system to communicate data and information. Communication can have several forms, such as e-mail, discussion groups, and information retrieved via the World Wide Web (also known as the Web).

Keyword Searching - Keyword searching allows a user to conduct a search by looking for a word or combination of words you enter into a search engine or database to find information.

Meta-search engine - A type of search engine that scans multiple search engines at the same time and provides results based on the keyword(s) entered

Plagiarism - According to The American Heritage College Dictionary, the definition of 'plagiarism' is "to use and pass off as one's own (the ideas or writings of another)" and "to appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another)."

Results/Hits - The list of Web pages and documents that match the keywords typed by a user into a search engine.

Search engine - A program that searches for Web documents with keyword (s) you enter. Yahoo and Google are two examples of search engines.

Subject directory - Refers to any collection of Web sites organized into such categories as health, history, sports, arts and entertainment, and travel. (Every directory has its own unique categories and links to web pages.)

Synonyms - Two words that mean the same thing are called synonyms. Examples of this would be words that can be used instead of each other such as "car" and "automobile".

URL - short for Uniform Resource Locator; name for a World Wide Web site's address.

Various Spellings - Some words have two different spellings but the word is the same. Examples of this would be: catalog or catalogue.  Or it could be abbreviations of words or the abbreviations written out.  Examples of this would be US or United States and Center for Disease Control or CDC.

World Wide Web - One piece of the Internet. Specifically, the Web is a collection of documents and applications residing on Internet servers around the world.

Web page - A single page/document on a Web site