Research & Resources

Research Publications

Research-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines
Includes a "strength of evidence scale" for each guideline on web development

Centers for Web Development Research

W3C - World Wide Web Consortium
Develops common protocols for the WWW and interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools).
Intranet/Extranet Research Center
Resources articles and discussions for business web development.
Cyber Behaviour Research Center - Human Behaviour on the Web
Includes articles, metrics and survey research summaries.
Web Professional Research Center
Everything you need to know about working on the web

Reference/Terminology

Whatis.com
Searchable definitions for thousands of the most current IT-related words and web development terms .
CNET Glossary
A glossary of internet related vocabulary.
WDVL Webmaster's Lexicon
A glossary of web development terms from the Web Developers Virtual Libary.
WWW Acronym & Abbreviation Server
A searchable database of Acronyms
Webopedia
Online dictionary and search engine for computer and Internet technology.
FOLDOC
Free online dictionary of computing.
e-how
A directory of how-to-do instructions for the internet and WWW.
howstuffworks: Internet!
A directory of how different internet and WWW technologies work.
The Internet FAQ consortium
A searchable index of Frequently Asked Questions on the Internet and WWW
Netlingo
Online Dictionary about the internet and useful web reference tools.
Internet pocket dictionary
A Java toolbar for your desktop useful for looking up words while you are surfing around the Web.
The Jargon File
A comprehensive compendium of hacker slang.
Acronym Finder
A search engine for acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms.

Styleguides

Web site management - Policy and Standards
An article by Shirley Chan, January 28, 2002 in Webreview.com
W3C Styleguide
The World Wide Web Consortium's orginal guide to style.
WDVL Style guides
A listing of the Web Developer's Virtual Library Style Guides
Yale CAIM Guide to Style
An excellent web style guide written by the Yale Advanced Center for Instructional Media

Web Standards

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Develops protocols and technical specifications for the Web's infrastructure.
The Web Standards Project (WASP)
Articles, resources and support lobbying for compliance with the W3C web standards.
"Raise Your Standards" - By Molly E. Holzschlag
A well written overview article on standards appearing in "Web Techniques"
Australian Web Measurement Standards and Guidelines
Released by the Australian Internet Industry, 8 July 2000

Site Planning

Site Planning Tips from CNET designers
Tips on site planning from CNET's Builder.com
Site Planning, the Red-Headed Stepchild of the Web By Ben Henick
A Digital Web Magazine Tutorial
Web Site Planning Navigating the maze of opportunities - Terry Grunwald
A Techsoup article, April 16, 2001
Ten Mistakes in Site Planning
An article by Steve Franklin, September 28, 2001 in Webreview.
Sit e Redesign Tutorial (Webmonkey)
An article discussing some important considerations if you are about to redevelop an existing site.
Web Site Planning Worksheet
An example of a web site planning worksheet formulated by the University of Arizona, USA

Project Mangement

Wanna be a project manager?
An article by by Pam Statz 03 May 2001 in Webmonkey
Multimedia Authoring Guidelines - Project Management Process
A comprehensive web site from the Univesity of Queensland detailing stages in the web development project management process.
Web development process
Gantthead.com - the online community for IT project managers.

Scoping

How to Write a Request for Proposal for a Web Project
An article by Bruce Morris in the Web Developer's Journal

Teams

Web Teams - Research and Analysis
By Jay Collier, Dartmouth College Communications Services.

Content Development

Content

Content - IBM Ease of Use Web Design Guidelines
User-centred design guidelines for content on the web.
Content is Still King
An article discussing the alignment between content and technology and content management
Content is not King
An article discussing the future of the internet and content vs. communication.

Content Management

What is content management?
An article by Chris Payne, July 10, 2000, appearing in the WDVL.
Site Manager
The online content management tool developed by IML at UTS.
Guide to Using Site Manager
Basic concepts and step-by-step instructions on how to use Site Manager. Available as a downloadable pdf file.

Writing

The Web Content Style Guide (Exerpt): Writing for the Web
A tutorial on the basics of web writing
Content Development, Writing for the Web
A collection of very useful web writing articles and resources from WebsiteTips.com
Web writing - writing for the Web
Guides to web writing from About.com
Writing for the Web - Sun Microsystems
An article written by Jacob Neilson
eFuse-Writing for the web
A guide covering content, style and formatting by Daniel Will-Harris.
Multimedia Basics-Writing for the Web
A guide by Michael Butzgy
useit.com-Writing for the Web links
"Must read" research-based articles on how users read on the Web and how authors should write their Web pages from mainly by Jacob Nielson.

Grammar, writing & style guides

26 Golden Rules for Writing Well
Easy to follow writing rules that can be applied to web content.
Provenance Unknown web style guide
A useful style guide from a practising online editor.
Guide to Grammar & Writing
A useful online tool for writing and grammar.

Information Architecture

Argus Center for Information Architecture
This site serves as a focal point for learning about the theory and practice of information architecture, includes a very informative IA guide.
Ten questions about information architecture
Useful summaries compiled by Builder.com on the field of information architecture
Inf ormation Architecture Tutorial
An information architecture tutorial from WebMonkey
Introduction to Information Architecture interactive online tutorial
The tutorial by Educorner consists of 6 lessons; Introduction, Architecture, Organization, Navigation, Labeling, Process, and Examples.
Information Architecture Guide Picks from About.com
Useful information architecture articles
Information Architecture - Usable Web
Recent links to resources and articles on this topic

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Digital Copyright for Web Publishers
An online fact sheet from the Australian Government Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
Australian Copyright Council Information sheets
The Australian copyright council compiled up-to-date information sheets on creating and publishing on the Internet and copyright.

Search Engine Optimisation

Search Engine Submission Tips
An authorative guide to ensuring your content can be found effectively on the web by search engines, directories and crawlers by Danny Sullivan at Searchenginewatch.com
Search Engine Placement Tips
Essential reading for understanding how content features can optimise search engine ranking and placement and a guide to using HTML meta tags.

Site Testing

Accessibility

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)resources
The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) has documented generally accepted standards and guidelines for producing accessible web content.
Dive into Accessibility: 30 Days to a more accessible web site
An online book on Web Accessibility by Mark Pilgrim published 2002.
DisTech Web Accessibility and Usability Evaluation Resource
"The site brings together the concepts of Usability (making things more intuitive and user friendly) and Accessibility (allowing people with disabilities equal access to content) in the form of Seven Precepts."
How to Conduct Usability Evaluations for Accessibility: Methodology Guidelines for Testing Websites and Intranets With Users Who Use Assistive Technology By Kara Pernice Coyne and Jakob Nielsen (PDF document 515K)
A fee-for-access report from the Nielsen Norman Group
Accessibility...An Integral Part of Online Learning
Educational Technology Review: International Forum on Educational Technology Issues & Applications Special Issue Vol. 10, No. 1, 2002
Accessibility: the myth of ugly
Jeffrey Zeldman's speaker's tips form the "WebBuilder conference September 9,10 & 11, Las Vegas, 2002

Usability

Usability Resources
Information on some of the most commonly used usability testing techniques published by Information & Design, a usability consultancy based in Melbourne, Australia.