This guide investigates the fundamental methods for navigating the early internet to locate reliable health-related information. The author, Joseph D. Rivard, provides a foundational framework for students and researchers to evaluate online resources during the nascent stages of public web accessibility. The text emphasizes the transition from traditional library research to digital information retrieval within the medical and health sciences.

The subject matter points to a historical, specialist text intended for students needing an introduction to digital literacy in the late 1990s. The framing suggests a practical, procedural approach to navigating the internet as it existed before the modern search era.