220 likes | 290 Views
Discover gateways like FirstGov, FedWorld & more for accessing vast government information online. Explore business data & health resources. Enhance your research skills for informed decisions.
E N D
Internet Research Government Online
Government Gateways • The amount of information produced by the government is staggering. • Billions of bills, files, research studies and other paperwork are churned out annually. • Much of this is now online. • How does anyone begin to study it? Through gateways.
FirstGov • Gateways are simply guides or organizing sites to the plethora of government information. • www.firstgov.gov is crucial • Private sites have tried to organize government information. See: www.searchgov.com and www.google.com/unclesam
FedWorld • www.fedworld.gov is supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce. • Its specialty is the treasure trove of U.S. databases, from health care studies to job listings. • The site also is an excellent introduction to U.S. government reports.
FedLaw • FedLaw was developed, unsurprisingly, to organize federal legal and judicial information. • http://fedlaw.gsa.gov can provide you with information about legislation, laws, courts, hearings and other legal stuff.
Other government sites • Other government sites rank among the best on the Internet: • www.whitehouse.gov - see daily press briefings www.census.gov - profile your community • www.sec.gov - profile a company • www.loc.gov - The Library of Congress • www.nara.gov - The National Archives and Records Administration • www.epa.gov - Environmental Protection Agency
Internet Research Online Business
Information is your business • The Internet is an incredible resource for information about business and businesses. • You can track industries in which you’d like to work, like entertainment or news. • You can use the Internet to do research on a company or person. • You can get investment advice.
Public or Private? • An important consideration: Is the business you are interested in private or public? • Public companies have shares that are traded on a stock exchange. They must fill out out numerous forms and reports – that often are available online.
The SEC & EDGAR • The Securities Exchange Commission – SEC – is responsible for collecting, organizing and distributing business information. • The SEC has created an amazing online database – EDGAR, Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval. • Find it at www.sec.gov
Tenkwizard.com • You will find that 10-K forms, filed annually at the end of the year, are perhaps the fastest and most comprehensive source of information on public traded companies. • www.tenkwizard.com provides fast access.
Private Companies • Privately held companies don’t have to fill out the forms that public companies do. • You can still get online information on private companies through business web sites, wire services and other outlets. • www.hoovers.com • www.companiesonline.com • www.morningstar.com
Internet Research Online Health Information
Online for Health • Some studies suggest that more than half the searches undertaken online are health related. • As with many other areas, from business to law, the Internet has put more information into the hands of more people than ever before.
Evaluating information • With health information in particular, the online researcher must carefully evaluate and judge Internet sources. • Trusty Google can take you to many sites. Some are well intentioned but wrong. Others can be malicious and dangerous.
National Library of Medicine • Many fine sites can provide researchers with a wealth of good, reliable information about sickness and health. • The database, Medline, at the the National Library of Medicine, has been around since 1966. • www.nlm.nih.gov
Medscape • Although not a government site, Medscape has emerged as another authoritative health resource. • Originally produced by the same medical professionals who created CBS Healthwatch, www.medscape.com eventually merged with Healthwatch.
WebMD • Another authoritative site for online health information is: • www.webmd.com • As its name implies, WebMD offers services to doctors as well as patients.
Healthfinder.org • www.healthfinder.org attempts to organize the array of health information available online. • You can also try a subject directory, which has someone checking out listed sites for authenticity, such as www.yahoo.directory.health.com
The Merck Manual • The Merck Manual has been a staple of medical professionals for years. • An online version is available at www.merck.com
Drugs • Information about drugs is available at many of these sites. • However, other sites have tried to organize the vast material on drugs available in the United States. • www.rxlist.com, for example, has a listing of the Top 200 drugs and information on each.
Political, Business and Health Wisdom • For information on government, business, sickness and health, the Internet has become perhaps the most valuable tool. • Knowledge of Internet research can make you a better citizen, more successful – and keep you alive!