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Search Help | New Link Help | Search Results Help
PaleoLink Help
With an ever-growing number of paleontology-related websites on the Internet, link pages can quickly become cluttered and confused. The PaleoLink database is designed to simplify and customize the process of finding paleo-related web sites on the Internet. Users can search the contents of the PaleoLink database from the Search page and display either a complete list of every web site in the database, or only those sites that match their interests. Users can also enter data on the New Link page about their own paleo-related sites, providing a link to their sites as well as helpful information describing the nature of their sites. This page discusses aspects of submitting and retrieving data, with sample screen shots illustrating particular topics.
To use the search function of the PaleoLink database, first go to the Search page and enter the desired information in at least one field of the search form. The six primary searchable fields are Website Name, Type of Website, Focus of Website, Features of Website, Host Country, and Keywords. One or more of these fields can be used to search the PaleoLink database. Note: Users are not required to fill in any of the form on the Search page to see the contents of the database. To see a complete alphabetical list of all the websites listed in the database, simply click the Display All Records button at the bottom of the Search page. To perform a more accurate search of the database, however, users must select at least one element from at least one of the six searcahable fields, and then click the Start Search button at the bottom of the Search page. One way to search for a particular web site is simply to type the name of the website in the Website Name field. Searching the database in this way will return a list of websites that match the entered name, if any are found. If no matching records exist in the database, a Search Error page will inform the user that no matching records were found.
Users can also search the database by type, focus, and features of a website. These particular search functions allow users to specify a search criterion that meets their particular interests. The Type of Website field contains ten individual elements, listed alphabetically: Academic Department, Commercial Site, Fossil Site, Geological Survey, Journal or Newsletter, Energy Company, On-Line Resource, Organization or Society, and Personal Site. Users can specify one or more of the elements of this field by clicking the appropriate checkbox. Hint: nearly every website can be seen as an On-Line Resource. Due to its broad application, this selection would not yield very informative or specific results.
Whereas the Type of Website field describes the general nature of a website, the Focus and Features fields describe the particular nature of a website. In this sense the Focus of Website and Feature of Website fields can be seen as subsets of the Type of Website field. Users can select searchable elements from these fields by clicking the appropriate check boxes. (Selecting elements from these fields is not required to perform a search of the database.)
Users have the option of selecting a particular host country to augment their search. The Host Country field is designed to indicate the location of the computer or server that houses the website. Finally, users have the option of searching the database by keywords. This can be, perhaps, the most useful aspect of the Search page. Simply enter one or more keywords that describe the nature, features, or contents of the web pages for which you are searching and click the Start Search button. A list of matching websites will be displayed that contain matching keywords. If, for example, a user types "trilobite" into the keyword field, the search will return a list of all matching trilobite-oriented websites contained in the database. Similarly, if a user were searching for the website associated with the publication of the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology the keyword search function would provide the most beneficial results.
Note: Searching the database by keyword will return matching results ONLY if matching keywords are contained in the records of the other websites in the PaleoLink database. The keyword search function is NOT case sensitive. To find websites that match ANY of the selections you have chosen from the six searchable fields, click the "Match any words between fields" button. To find websites that match ONLY those selections you have chosen from the six searchable fields, click the "Match all words between fields" button. Matching all words returns more specific and thus fewer results. Users can also select the number of results displayed on the Search Results page. Users can select from 10, 20, 30 50, or ALL of the records in the database. The default setting is to display 10 records per page.
After the selections from the above fields have been made, simply click the Start Search button to conduct a search of the database. Matching records will be displayed in a Record Detail page (see below). If no matching records are found, a Search Error page will be displayed stating that there are no matching records. To see an alphabetical list of all the records in the database, simply click the Display All Records button at the bottom of the Search page.
Note: Entries into the PaleoLink database are "moderated" only to the degree that those websites not associated with paleontology will be removed from the database at the webmaster's discretion. The first element on the New Link page is the Record Status field, which describes whether the record is a new record or an updated record. If you are updating a previous record, please be sure to click the "Update" button at the top of the New link page, then fill out the form completely. The updated record status will signify to the webmaster that an existing record needs to be updated. After the record has been submitted the webmaster will delete any earlier records listed under the same name. The default setting for the Record Status field is to list each entry as a new record.
There are only two required fields on the New Link page: Website Name and URL. The red * next to the fields name indicates a required field. If no data is entered in these fields users will not be able to submit an entry into the PaleoLink database. Simply list the name or title of your webpage, and list the URL (web address) of your home page. Note: The hypertext transfer protocol prefix (http://) is provided in the URL text field. Simply type the website address after the prefix. For example, the URL for the Paleontological Institute home page at the University of Kansas should be http://paleo.ku.edu, not paleo.ku.edu.
The elements of the Type of Website, Focus of Website, and Features of Website fields are the primary indicators of the nature of your site. Simply select those options that best describe the nature of your site. The Type of Website field is more general than either the Focus or Features fields, which should both be seen as subsets of the Type of Website field. Note: While entry of data into the Type of Website field is not required, it is helpful to list at least one element from this field to describe your website. The On-Line Resource option is designed to be broad enough to apply to all websites. For example, the Paleontological Institute, associated with the Department of Geology at the University of Kansas, might be listed as an Academic Department or Division and an On-Line Resource.
The Focus of Website and Features of Website fields are designed to allow web developers to accurately describe the nature of their sites. Simply choose those elements that best describe your website.
The Host Country field can be used to name the country in which the server housing the website is currently located. Simply select a country from the pull-down menu. Perhaps the most useful aspect of the New Link page is the ability to list keywords that describe your website. List the keywords needed to describe the nature and content of your site. Users can then search for your site by using the keyword search option on the Search page. Note: Be as exact as possible when listing keywords that describe your site. The more accurately your page is described by its keywords, the better the chances are that users will be able to find your site as a result of a keyword search. For example, the Paleontological Institute, which publishes both the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology and Paleo Contributions might use keywords that reflect the titles of those publications.
If necessary, the Additional Notes field allows users to further describe, explain, or clarify their websites beyond the basic description provided through the New Link form. The New Link page also offers users the chance to enter optional contact information. This can be useful for providing information about the authorship of the site. Simply fill out the optional contact form, listing not only your name and e-mail address, but position as well.
After completing the form on the New Link page, simply click the Submit button at the bottom of the page to enter your record into the PaleoLink database. If you made a mistake on any part of your record, submit another record (listed as an Update in the Record Status field). If a small correction is all that is needed feel free to e-mail the webmaster who will gladly edit your record for you. The results of a search of the PaleoLink database are displayed in a Search Results page, which provides a link to the Full Record page (a complete listing of all data for that particular website), a link to the website, and the date the entry in the PaleoLink database was last updated.
To visit a website, simply click on the highlighted URL. The website will open in a new browser window. To see the full record for a website, click on the name of the website. The full record will be displayed in a new browser window. The Full Record page lists all the data for each corresponding website, including contact and last update information.
For any problems concerning the use of the PaleoLink database not covered in this help page, please contact the webmaster. |
Welcome to the PaleoLink Help page. This page is designed to answer
questions concerning the use of this database for the submission and
retrieval of data pertaining to paleontology-related websites.
A
unique feature of the PaleoLink database is that users can create
their own records for their individual websites. The New Link page
provides users the opportunity to describe the nature of their
websites. In addition to listing the name and URL, users can also
describe the type, focus, and features of a site. To create a new
record in the PaleoLink database, first go to the 
