Library

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use the sites in the ThinkQuest Library?
Can you please help me with my homework or research?
How do I cite the Library web sites in my bibliography?
Where can I find information about GATE 2004?
Where is the Stocksquest site about investing?
Why can't I log in to update my ThinkQuest site?
How do I contact the authors of a particular site?
Who should I notify if I find an error on a ThinkQuest Library site?

How do I use the sites in the ThinkQuest Library?

The ThinkQuest Library is a world-renowned source for educational sites and for web-based lessons created for students, by students. You may view the over 5000 sites in the library by browsing the topics in the directory located at http://library.thinkquest.org/, or using the search feature located on the bottom of that page. Please read the following for more information about using the Library:

Homework, research, reading, personal information

• You are free to use the Library sites for your own personal education or research. No permission or notification is required, but we remind you to cite your sources and include a reference to the ThinkQuest site in your bibliography or any list of resources you compile. You may download, copy and use materials providing that they are for personal and non-commercial use, and are not distributed. You may link to the site, and make ThinkQuest one of your bookmarks.

Educators wishing to use materials in the classroom or link to the Library

• We encourage educators and teachers to make use of the valuable resources of the ThinkQuest Library in their classrooms. Teachers may download, copy or transmit any portion of the material in the web pages of ThinkQuest for informational and non-commercial purposes only. The material may be used in a classroom for teaching or on a school Intranet, but not in any publication for profit. See the Terms of Use for more details.
• Educators who wish to link to the ThinkQuest site from their school or classroom site, are asked to complete the Link Notification Form.

Use images, quotes, or excerpts in published materials; any commercial use

• If you wish to excerpt text or images from a site for commercial use or publication outside the classroom, please review the site for original sources of the material or contact information for the creators of the site. Please contact the original authors of the content or the site for permission.
• Commercial organizations (i.e., subscription or membership-based web sites) that wish to provide their clients with a link to ThinkQuest sites must complete the Request for Commercial Use Form.

Can you please help me with my homework or research?

ThinkQuest does not provide a homework help service, but we encourage you to visit the ThinkQuest Library to research your question. The Library contains over 5000 educational websites created by students, for students and contains information about a wide range of topics. You can look for information in the directory and list of topic areas, or use the search feature at the bottom of the page. Alternatively, you may want to pose your question to a public library reference desk. For example, the New York Public Library has an online "Ask A Librarian" service at http://ask.nypl.org/.

How do I cite Library websites in my bibliography?

Different teachers and reference guides have different formats for citations of online sources.  Most commonly they will require the full URL of the page you used and the date you accessed it.  You should check with your teacher though, for guidance on any other information s/he might require. If you need to include the names of authors or the date of publication, you might want to at the individual Library site itself, as many include an "About" page with information about the student team that created the site.  Also, each Library site includes a introductory / summary page (see example) that will tell you the year the site was submitted to the Library, and also might include the names of the students who created the site.  You can reach these summary pages by searching for the site title using the search box at http://library.thinkquest.org. Please note that only student first names may be provided in order to protect child privacy.

Where can I find information about GATE 2004?

In the past the ThinkQuest Library contained a site that included information about the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). That site was removed from the Library because it was a part of the ThinkQuest for Tomorrow's Teachers competition, which is not owned or operated by Oracle. We apologize for any inconvenience and recommend using an internet search engine to search for "GATE 2004".

Where is the Stocksquest site about investing?

Stocksquest was not included among the assets transferred to the Oracle Help Us Help Foundation by the former owners of ThinkQuest. You can access Stocksquest at http://www.stocksquest.com/.

Why can't I log in to update my ThinkQuest site?

Unfortunately, there are serious security issues that prohibit us from allowing teams to connect to the Library servers and make changes or edits to their sites after the end of a competition. If you have concerns about your site's content (i.e., there is incorrect or misleading information), please contact us at TQLibrary_ww@oracle.com and provide the exact url of the page and a description of the issue.

How do I contact the authors of a particular site?

The ThinkQuest Library consists of thousands of educational websites created by students, for students. Please refer to the actual site in question to see if the team that created it has provided an email address you can use to contact them. Most sites include a "Contact Us" button or a page about the authors. Please note that the Library includes sites from several years ago and some email addresses may no longer be valid or monitored. We apologize, but we are unable to provide alternate contact addresses.

Who should I contact if I find an error on a ThinkQuest Library site?

If you find incorrect or misleading information in a ThinkQuest Library site, please contact TQLibrary_ww@oracle.com and include the exact url of the page and a description of the issue.