{"id":176,"date":"2015-09-24T18:46:50","date_gmt":"2015-09-24T18:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/informationliteracyxmaster\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=176"},"modified":"2015-09-24T18:46:50","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T18:46:50","slug":"understanding-urls","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/chapter\/understanding-urls\/","title":{"raw":"Understanding URLs","rendered":"Understanding URLs"},"content":{"raw":"URL stands for <b>Uniform Resource Locator<\/b>.\r\n\r\nA URL is just the internet address for any given webpage:\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-177\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/939\/2015\/09\/26001712\/WC1.png\" alt=\"A screenshot of a web browser. The url is circled.\" width=\"597\" height=\"205\" \/>\r\n\r\nUnderstanding the component parts of a URL can be helpful in a variety of situations. Here are just a few reasons why understanding URLs is useful:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>The URL often reveals key information about a site<\/li>\r\n\t<li>An understanding of URLs provides the needed foundation for many advanced search strategies<\/li>\r\n\t<li>A heightened attention to URLs helps searchers recognize fraudulent sites<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nEach section below focuses on a different part of the URL. At the end of the webtext is a quiz that you can take to test your understanding of URLs.\r\n<h2>Locate the protocol<\/h2>\r\nThe \u201cprotocol\u201d is the first part of URL. Some browsers simplify how addresses are displayed by hiding the protocol:\u00a0 for example, in Chrome and Firefox, <b>http:\/\/writingcommons.org<\/b> displays as <b>writingcommons.org<\/b>\r\n\r\nThe protocol <b>https<\/b> indicates that information sent through the page will be encrypted, and therefore harder to read if some third party intercepts the information. (The next time you are entering a username and password on a page, check for the \u201chttps\u201d protocol.)\r\n<h2>Locate the domain name<\/h2>\r\nThe \u201cdomain name\u201d identifies the site that contains the page you are viewing. It appears just before the first single slash (\/). If there is no single slash, then the domain name is whatever appears at the end of the URL.\r\n\r\nFor example, the following URLs all refer to pages on the Writing Commons site:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/<b>writingcommons.org\/<\/b>open-text\/information-literacy<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>writingcommons.org<\/b><b>\/<\/b>open-text\/research-methods-methodologies\/integrate-evidence\/incorporate-evidence\/1030-synthesizing-your-research-findings<\/li>\r\n\t<li>www.<b>writingcommons.org<\/b><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIf you look carefully, you will see that most browsers try to help users out by boldfacing the domain name in the address bar.\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n<h3>Example<\/h3>\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/writingcommons.org\/images\/WC2.png\" alt=\"the URL from a web browser the domain name &quot;writingcommons.org&quot; is in a darker color than the rest of the URL, which has been greyed out.\" width=\"486\" height=\"43\" \/>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nBeing able to locate the domain name in a URL allows you to identify the entity that hosts the page you are viewing\u2014a piece of information that is often crucial to understanding the nature of your source.\r\n<h2>Recognize sub-directories<\/h2>\r\nElements of the URL that appear <i>after<\/i> the domain indicate different sub-directories. For example:\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/writingcommons.org\/images\/WC3.png\" alt=\"A dissected URL. The domain name (writingcommons.org) is indicated as are several sub-directories: open-text, information-literacy, and rhetorical-analysis.\" width=\"615\" height=\"90\" \/>\r\n\r\nIn the example above, \u201copen-text,\u201d \u201cinformation-literacy,\u201d and \u201crhetorical-analysis\u201d are sub-directories of the domain writingcommons.org. Think of these as folders within folders.\r\n<h2>Recognize subdomains<\/h2>\r\nSubdomains are similar to sub-directories in that they provide a way for website developers to separate content, but subdomains appear <i>before <\/i>the domain name in the URL.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let this trip you up.\u00a0 The domain name is still the content that appears pressed up against the first single slash (\/) or\u2014if there is no single slash\u2014at the very end of the URL.\r\n\r\nFor example, the domain name in all of the following URLs is <b>google.com<\/b>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>www<b>.google.com\r\n<\/b><\/li>\r\n\t<li>books<b>.google.com<\/b><\/li>\r\n\t<li>https:\/\/accounts<b>.google.com<\/b>\/Login<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nPay attention to the placement of the dots.\u00a0 The following is <i>not <\/i>a Google page:\r\n\r\nwww.mgoogle.com\r\n\r\nHere the domain is <b>mgoogle.com<\/b>, not <b>google.com<\/b>\r\n<h2>Recognize top-level domains<\/h2>\r\nIn the domain name <b>writingcommons.org<\/b>, the \u201ctop-level domain\u201d is .<b>org<\/b>.\u00a0 The top-level domain <b>.org<\/b> was originally intended for use by non-profit organizations\u2014and many non-profits continue to use it\u2014but it is now open to anyone.\r\n\r\nIn the domain name <b>amazon.com<\/b>, the top-level domain is <b>.com<\/b>.\u00a0 Short for \u201ccommercial,\u201d <b>.<\/b><b>com<\/b> is the most common top-level domain in the world and is now used for a wide variety of sites\u2014not just the sites of commercial enterprises.\r\n\r\nSome top-level domains have retained their original meanings and are especially helpful to know:\r\n<table border=\"1\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><b>domain<\/b><\/td>\r\n<td><b>description<\/b><\/td>\r\n<td><b>example<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>.edu<\/td>\r\n<td>university site<\/td>\r\n<td>http:\/\/www.nu.edu<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>gov<\/td>\r\n<td>government site<\/td>\r\n<td>http:\/\/www.senate.gov<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>.mil<\/td>\r\n<td>military site<\/td>\r\n<td>http:\/\/www.army.mil<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nNewer top-level domains such as <b>.museum<\/b>, <b>.bike<\/b>, and <b>.clothing<\/b> are not yet widely used.\r\n\r\nSome domains include a country domain extension\u2014or \u201ccountry code top level domain.\u201d\r\n\r\nHere are some examples:\r\n<table border=\"1\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><b>code<\/b><\/td>\r\n<td><b>country<\/b><\/td>\r\n<td><b>example<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>.in<\/td>\r\n<td>India<\/td>\r\n<td>indianrail.gov.in<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>.de<\/td>\r\n<td>Germany<\/td>\r\n<td>www.spiegel.de<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>.ca<\/td>\r\n<td>Canada<\/td>\r\n<td>www.cbc.ca<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>.jp<\/td>\r\n<td>Japan<\/td>\r\n<td>www.nicovideo.jp<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>.uk<\/td>\r\n<td>United Kingdom<\/td>\r\n<td>www.ima.org.uk<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nPay attention to country domain extensions. When present in a URL, they represent a core component of the domain. Note, for example, that<b> hydra.com<\/b> and <b>hydra.com.gr<\/b> are different domains. The two are unrelated sites run by unrelated entities.\r\n\r\nFor a comprehensive list of top-level domains, consult\u00a0 one of the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains\" target=\"_blank\">Wikipedia: List of Internet top-level domains<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.iana.org\/domains\/root\/db\" target=\"_blank\">IANA Root Zone Database<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Use your understanding of URLs to enhance your web searching<\/h2>\r\nOnce you understand URLs, certain kinds of advanced search strategies become easier to conceptualize, remember, and implement\u2014for example, filtering by domain and top-level domain.\r\n<h3><b>Filter by top-level domain<\/b><\/h3>\r\nIf you know that the kind of information you are seeking is most likely to appear on a site with a particular type of top-level domain, you can restrict your search to this type of site using the <b>site:<\/b> search operator.\r\n\r\nFor example, if you are seeking government documents on the topic of student loans, then a search for <b>student loans site:gov<\/b> will return only results with the top-level domain <b>gov<\/b>, filtering out a large number of sites that are not relevant to your research needs.\r\n<h3><b>Filter by domain<\/b><\/h3>\r\nIf you know the domain of the site on which your information will appear, you can use <b>site:<\/b> to search only that site.\r\n\r\nFor example, a search for <b>sample tests site:dmv.ca.gov <\/b>will return only pages located on the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website (the domain of which is <b>dmv.ca.gov<\/b>).\r\n\r\nThe<strong> site<\/strong>: operator works in all major search engines (Google, Bing, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, etc.).\r\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-info\">\r\n<h3>Practice identifying deceptive URLs<\/h3>\r\nThe immediate benefit of the drill below will be to improve your ability to distinguish between real and fraudulent sites, but the exercise will also help you sharpen your overall URL-analysis skills by heightening your attention to the component parts of URLs.\r\n\r\nA) Which of the following are eBay.com web pages? Do not go to the sites. (Some sites masquerading as legitimate sites may contain harmful underlying code). Just examine the URLs.\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/pages.ebay.com<\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/movies.half.ebay.com<\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/pages.ebey.com<\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/68.112.112.34:8866\/ebay.htm<\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/<span id=\"cloak3331\">signin.ebay.com@10.19.29<\/span>.2<\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/<span id=\"cloak45678\">pages.@ebay.com<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/signin-ebay.com<\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/electronics\/ipad<\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/www.ebay.deals.com<\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/www.ebay.pro<\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/www.ebay.com.bb\/motors\/motorcycles<\/li>\r\n\t<li>http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/itm\/A-Planet-of-Viruses-by-Carl-Zimmer-2011-Hardcover-\/191063912359<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nB) Find the domain name in this URL:\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.bankofamerica.com.sas.signon.do.detect.2.signin.sessionid.rmrlfbqjlokcjpczgs.oxcvsvcpdsoeeseytje.yucfnjtidbvnujxrwjmsea.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.nuyovbuskl.bernadinec.com\/index.php?pageType=708XeMWZamp;cust=redacted@redacted.redactedamp;l=lWXS3AlBXVShqAhQRfhgTDrf=nttps:\/\/sitekey.bnkofamerica.com\/sas\/signon.do?SignIn&SMSESSIONID=ASERTFGUY2I94O0389GYBH23JNMKUYH83JMN12I90U82HJNASDKOASD9AS8D&iv=90832yhIopOWjos\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-info\">\r\n<h3>Answers<\/h3>\r\nA) eBay page?\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>1. http:\/\/pages.ebay.com<\/td>\r\n<td>YES<\/td>\r\n<td>This is an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.com<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>2.\u00a0http:\/\/movies.half.ebay.com<\/td>\r\n<td>YES<\/td>\r\n<td>This is an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.com<\/b> (\u201cmovies\u201d and \u201chalf\u201d indicate subdomains).<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>3.\u00a0http:\/\/pages.ebey.com<\/td>\r\n<td>NO<\/td>\r\n<td>This is not an eBay page. Note that \u201cebay\u201d is misspelled as <b>ebey<\/b>.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>4.\u00a0http:\/\/68.112.112.34:8866\/ebay.htm<\/td>\r\n<td>NO<\/td>\r\n<td>This is not an eBay page. The first single slash (\/) is not preceded by the domain name ebay.com.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>5.\u00a0http:\/\/<span id=\"cloak13335\">signin.ebay.com@10.19.29<\/span>.2<\/td>\r\n<td>NO<\/td>\r\n<td>This is not an eBay page. Notice that there is no slash (\/) after \u201cebay.com.\u201d<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>6.\u00a0http:\/\/<span id=\"cloak49086\">page.@ebay.com<\/span><\/td>\r\n<td>NO<\/td>\r\n<td>This is not an eBay page. The actual domain is <b>@ebay.com<\/b>, not ebay.com.\u00a0 (@ebay.com is as different from ebay.com as zebay.com, bebay.com, mebay.com, etc.\u00a0 One character can make all the difference.)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>7.\u00a0http:\/\/signin-ebay.com<\/td>\r\n<td>NO<\/td>\r\n<td>This is not an eBay page. If the hyphen were a period, we\u2019d be fine.\u00a0 But it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 As in the example above with @, the hyphen could be any character and be just as wrong.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>8.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/electronics\/ipad<\/td>\r\n<td>YES<\/td>\r\n<td>This is an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.com.\u00a0 <\/b>The first single slash (\/) is directly preceded by <b>.ebay.com<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>9.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebay.deals.com<\/td>\r\n<td>NO<\/td>\r\n<td>This is not an eBay page. The domain name is <b>deals.com<\/b> (not ebay.com).<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>10.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebay.pro<\/td>\r\n<td>NO<\/td>\r\n<td>This is not an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.pro<\/b> (not ebay.com).<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\u00a011.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebay.com.bb\/motors\/motorcycles<\/td>\r\n<td>NO<\/td>\r\n<td>This is not an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.com.bb<\/b>(not ebay.com).<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\u00a012.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/itm\/A-Planet-of-Viruses-by-Carl-Zimmer-2011-Hardcover-\/191063912359<\/td>\r\n<td>YES<\/td>\r\n<td>This is an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.com.\u00a0 <\/b>The first slash is directly preceded by<b>.ebay.com<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nB) The domain name in the following URL is bernadinec.com (not bankofamerica.com). Notice that bernadinec.com is what appears just before the first single slash (\/):\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.bankofamerica.com.sas.signon.do.detect.2.signin.sessionid.rmrlfbqjlokcjpczgs.oxcvsvcpdsoeeseytje.yucfnjtidbvnujxrwjmsea.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.nuyovbuskl.bernadinec.com\/index.php?pageType=708XeMWZamp;cust=redacted@redacted.redactedamp;l=lWXS3AlBXVShqAhQRfhgTDrf=nttps:\/\/sitekey.bnkofamerica.com\/sas\/signon.do?SignIn&SMSESSIONID=ASERTFGUY2I94O0389GYBH23JNMKUYH83JMN12I90U82HJNASDKOASD9AS8D&iv=90832yhIopOWjos\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<p>URL stands for <b>Uniform Resource Locator<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>A URL is just the internet address for any given webpage:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-177\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/939\/2015\/09\/26001712\/WC1.png\" alt=\"A screenshot of a web browser. The url is circled.\" width=\"597\" height=\"205\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Understanding the component parts of a URL can be helpful in a variety of situations. Here are just a few reasons why understanding URLs is useful:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The URL often reveals key information about a site<\/li>\n<li>An understanding of URLs provides the needed foundation for many advanced search strategies<\/li>\n<li>A heightened attention to URLs helps searchers recognize fraudulent sites<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each section below focuses on a different part of the URL. At the end of the webtext is a quiz that you can take to test your understanding of URLs.<\/p>\n<h2>Locate the protocol<\/h2>\n<p>The \u201cprotocol\u201d is the first part of URL. Some browsers simplify how addresses are displayed by hiding the protocol:\u00a0 for example, in Chrome and Firefox, <b>http:\/\/writingcommons.org<\/b> displays as <b>writingcommons.org<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The protocol <b>https<\/b> indicates that information sent through the page will be encrypted, and therefore harder to read if some third party intercepts the information. (The next time you are entering a username and password on a page, check for the \u201chttps\u201d protocol.)<\/p>\n<h2>Locate the domain name<\/h2>\n<p>The \u201cdomain name\u201d identifies the site that contains the page you are viewing. It appears just before the first single slash (\/). If there is no single slash, then the domain name is whatever appears at the end of the URL.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the following URLs all refer to pages on the Writing Commons site:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>http:\/\/<b>writingcommons.org\/<\/b>open-text\/information-literacy<\/li>\n<li><b>writingcommons.org<\/b><b>\/<\/b>open-text\/research-methods-methodologies\/integrate-evidence\/incorporate-evidence\/1030-synthesizing-your-research-findings<\/li>\n<li>www.<b>writingcommons.org<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you look carefully, you will see that most browsers try to help users out by boldfacing the domain name in the address bar.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<h3>Example<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/writingcommons.org\/images\/WC2.png\" alt=\"the URL from a web browser the domain name &quot;writingcommons.org&quot; is in a darker color than the rest of the URL, which has been greyed out.\" width=\"486\" height=\"43\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Being able to locate the domain name in a URL allows you to identify the entity that hosts the page you are viewing\u2014a piece of information that is often crucial to understanding the nature of your source.<\/p>\n<h2>Recognize sub-directories<\/h2>\n<p>Elements of the URL that appear <i>after<\/i> the domain indicate different sub-directories. For example:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/writingcommons.org\/images\/WC3.png\" alt=\"A dissected URL. The domain name (writingcommons.org) is indicated as are several sub-directories: open-text, information-literacy, and rhetorical-analysis.\" width=\"615\" height=\"90\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In the example above, \u201copen-text,\u201d \u201cinformation-literacy,\u201d and \u201crhetorical-analysis\u201d are sub-directories of the domain writingcommons.org. Think of these as folders within folders.<\/p>\n<h2>Recognize subdomains<\/h2>\n<p>Subdomains are similar to sub-directories in that they provide a way for website developers to separate content, but subdomains appear <i>before <\/i>the domain name in the URL.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let this trip you up.\u00a0 The domain name is still the content that appears pressed up against the first single slash (\/) or\u2014if there is no single slash\u2014at the very end of the URL.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the domain name in all of the following URLs is <b>google.com<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>www<b>.google.com<br \/>\n<\/b><\/li>\n<li>books<b>.google.com<\/b><\/li>\n<li>https:\/\/accounts<b>.google.com<\/b>\/Login<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Pay attention to the placement of the dots.\u00a0 The following is <i>not <\/i>a Google page:<\/p>\n<p>www.mgoogle.com<\/p>\n<p>Here the domain is <b>mgoogle.com<\/b>, not <b>google.com<\/b><\/p>\n<h2>Recognize top-level domains<\/h2>\n<p>In the domain name <b>writingcommons.org<\/b>, the \u201ctop-level domain\u201d is .<b>org<\/b>.\u00a0 The top-level domain <b>.org<\/b> was originally intended for use by non-profit organizations\u2014and many non-profits continue to use it\u2014but it is now open to anyone.<\/p>\n<p>In the domain name <b>amazon.com<\/b>, the top-level domain is <b>.com<\/b>.\u00a0 Short for \u201ccommercial,\u201d <b>.<\/b><b>com<\/b> is the most common top-level domain in the world and is now used for a wide variety of sites\u2014not just the sites of commercial enterprises.<\/p>\n<p>Some top-level domains have retained their original meanings and are especially helpful to know:<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>domain<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>description<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>example<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>.edu<\/td>\n<td>university site<\/td>\n<td>http:\/\/www.nu.edu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>gov<\/td>\n<td>government site<\/td>\n<td>http:\/\/www.senate.gov<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>.mil<\/td>\n<td>military site<\/td>\n<td>http:\/\/www.army.mil<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Newer top-level domains such as <b>.museum<\/b>, <b>.bike<\/b>, and <b>.clothing<\/b> are not yet widely used.<\/p>\n<p>Some domains include a country domain extension\u2014or \u201ccountry code top level domain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here are some examples:<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>code<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>country<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>example<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>.in<\/td>\n<td>India<\/td>\n<td>indianrail.gov.in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>.de<\/td>\n<td>Germany<\/td>\n<td>www.spiegel.de<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>.ca<\/td>\n<td>Canada<\/td>\n<td>www.cbc.ca<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>.jp<\/td>\n<td>Japan<\/td>\n<td>www.nicovideo.jp<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>.uk<\/td>\n<td>United Kingdom<\/td>\n<td>www.ima.org.uk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Pay attention to country domain extensions. When present in a URL, they represent a core component of the domain. Note, for example, that<b> hydra.com<\/b> and <b>hydra.com.gr<\/b> are different domains. The two are unrelated sites run by unrelated entities.<\/p>\n<p>For a comprehensive list of top-level domains, consult\u00a0 one of the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains\" target=\"_blank\">Wikipedia: List of Internet top-level domains<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.iana.org\/domains\/root\/db\" target=\"_blank\">IANA Root Zone Database<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Use your understanding of URLs to enhance your web searching<\/h2>\n<p>Once you understand URLs, certain kinds of advanced search strategies become easier to conceptualize, remember, and implement\u2014for example, filtering by domain and top-level domain.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Filter by top-level domain<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>If you know that the kind of information you are seeking is most likely to appear on a site with a particular type of top-level domain, you can restrict your search to this type of site using the <b>site:<\/b> search operator.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you are seeking government documents on the topic of student loans, then a search for <b>student loans site:gov<\/b> will return only results with the top-level domain <b>gov<\/b>, filtering out a large number of sites that are not relevant to your research needs.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Filter by domain<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>If you know the domain of the site on which your information will appear, you can use <b>site:<\/b> to search only that site.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a search for <b>sample tests site:dmv.ca.gov <\/b>will return only pages located on the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website (the domain of which is <b>dmv.ca.gov<\/b>).<\/p>\n<p>The<strong> site<\/strong>: operator works in all major search engines (Google, Bing, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, etc.).<\/p>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-info\">\n<h3>Practice identifying deceptive URLs<\/h3>\n<p>The immediate benefit of the drill below will be to improve your ability to distinguish between real and fraudulent sites, but the exercise will also help you sharpen your overall URL-analysis skills by heightening your attention to the component parts of URLs.<\/p>\n<p>A) Which of the following are eBay.com web pages? Do not go to the sites. (Some sites masquerading as legitimate sites may contain harmful underlying code). Just examine the URLs.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>http:\/\/pages.ebay.com<\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/movies.half.ebay.com<\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/pages.ebey.com<\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/68.112.112.34:8866\/ebay.htm<\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/<span id=\"cloak3331\">signin.ebay.com@10.19.29<\/span>.2<\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/<span id=\"cloak45678\">pages.@ebay.com<\/span><\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/signin-ebay.com<\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/electronics\/ipad<\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/www.ebay.deals.com<\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/www.ebay.pro<\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/www.ebay.com.bb\/motors\/motorcycles<\/li>\n<li>http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/itm\/A-Planet-of-Viruses-by-Carl-Zimmer-2011-Hardcover-\/191063912359<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>B) Find the domain name in this URL:<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/www.bankofamerica.com.sas.signon.do.detect.2.signin.sessionid.rmrlfbqjlokcjpczgs.oxcvsvcpdsoeeseytje.yucfnjtidbvnujxrwjmsea.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.nuyovbuskl.bernadinec.com\/index.php?pageType=708XeMWZamp;cust=redacted@redacted.redactedamp;l=lWXS3AlBXVShqAhQRfhgTDrf=nttps:\/\/sitekey.bnkofamerica.com\/sas\/signon.do?SignIn&#38;SMSESSIONID=ASERTFGUY2I94O0389GYBH23JNMKUYH83JMN12I90U82HJNASDKOASD9AS8D&#38;iv=90832yhIopOWjos<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-info\">\n<h3>Answers<\/h3>\n<p>A) eBay page?<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>1. http:\/\/pages.ebay.com<\/td>\n<td>YES<\/td>\n<td>This is an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.com<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2.\u00a0http:\/\/movies.half.ebay.com<\/td>\n<td>YES<\/td>\n<td>This is an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.com<\/b> (\u201cmovies\u201d and \u201chalf\u201d indicate subdomains).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3.\u00a0http:\/\/pages.ebey.com<\/td>\n<td>NO<\/td>\n<td>This is not an eBay page. Note that \u201cebay\u201d is misspelled as <b>ebey<\/b>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4.\u00a0http:\/\/68.112.112.34:8866\/ebay.htm<\/td>\n<td>NO<\/td>\n<td>This is not an eBay page. The first single slash (\/) is not preceded by the domain name ebay.com.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5.\u00a0http:\/\/<span id=\"cloak13335\">signin.ebay.com@10.19.29<\/span>.2<\/td>\n<td>NO<\/td>\n<td>This is not an eBay page. Notice that there is no slash (\/) after \u201cebay.com.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6.\u00a0http:\/\/<span id=\"cloak49086\">page.@ebay.com<\/span><\/td>\n<td>NO<\/td>\n<td>This is not an eBay page. The actual domain is <b>@ebay.com<\/b>, not ebay.com.\u00a0 (@ebay.com is as different from ebay.com as zebay.com, bebay.com, mebay.com, etc.\u00a0 One character can make all the difference.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>7.\u00a0http:\/\/signin-ebay.com<\/td>\n<td>NO<\/td>\n<td>This is not an eBay page. If the hyphen were a period, we\u2019d be fine.\u00a0 But it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 As in the example above with @, the hyphen could be any character and be just as wrong.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>8.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/electronics\/ipad<\/td>\n<td>YES<\/td>\n<td>This is an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.com.\u00a0 <\/b>The first single slash (\/) is directly preceded by <b>.ebay.com<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebay.deals.com<\/td>\n<td>NO<\/td>\n<td>This is not an eBay page. The domain name is <b>deals.com<\/b> (not ebay.com).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>10.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebay.pro<\/td>\n<td>NO<\/td>\n<td>This is not an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.pro<\/b> (not ebay.com).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a011.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebay.com.bb\/motors\/motorcycles<\/td>\n<td>NO<\/td>\n<td>This is not an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.com.bb<\/b>(not ebay.com).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a012.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/itm\/A-Planet-of-Viruses-by-Carl-Zimmer-2011-Hardcover-\/191063912359<\/td>\n<td>YES<\/td>\n<td>This is an eBay page. The domain name is <b>ebay.com.\u00a0 <\/b>The first slash is directly preceded by<b>.ebay.com<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>B) The domain name in the following URL is bernadinec.com (not bankofamerica.com). Notice that bernadinec.com is what appears just before the first single slash (\/):<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/www.bankofamerica.com.sas.signon.do.detect.2.signin.sessionid.rmrlfbqjlokcjpczgs.oxcvsvcpdsoeeseytje.yucfnjtidbvnujxrwjmsea.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.zydyilpnchtjrriiszti.nuyovbuskl.bernadinec.com\/index.php?pageType=708XeMWZamp;cust=redacted@redacted.redactedamp;l=lWXS3AlBXVShqAhQRfhgTDrf=nttps:\/\/sitekey.bnkofamerica.com\/sas\/signon.do?SignIn&#38;SMSESSIONID=ASERTFGUY2I94O0389GYBH23JNMKUYH83JMN12I90U82HJNASDKOASD9AS8D&#38;iv=90832yhIopOWjos<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-176\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Understanding URLs. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Christine Photinos, National University . <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Writing Commons. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/writingcommons.org\/open-text\/information-literacy\/library-and-internet-research\">http:\/\/writingcommons.org\/open-text\/information-literacy\/library-and-internet-research<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives <\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":78,"menu_order":7,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Understanding URLs\",\"author\":\"Christine Photinos, National University \",\"organization\":\"Writing Commons\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/writingcommons.org\/open-text\/information-literacy\/library-and-internet-research\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-nd\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-176","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":114,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":178,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/176\/revisions\/178"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/114"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/176\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=176"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=176"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffstate-informationliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}