Effectively Searching the Web

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EffectivelySearching the Web

Documentation November 2011

Search Engines

Internet search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Bing, About, etc.)search enormous databases of webpages using keywords.The potential of search engines can be maximized bylearning how they work and how to find what you’re lookingfor quickly and effectively. It’s important to state an inquirythe right way so that you don't end up overwhelmed withtoo many search results, underwhelmed with too few, orsimply unable to locate the information that you need. Aswith most skills, practice is the key!

Typically, you will end up with many more results or “hits”than you need, so learning how to choose the helpful sites

and weed out the others is also an important tool whensearching the web.

Getting Started

Before doing a search, define your topic as completely and succinctly as possible. Think of —and maybeeven write down—exactly what information you're seeking, why you're seeking it, and sometimes even whatyou're not looking for. This will help you to discover the best keywords or keyword phrases for the search.

Keywords

Most search engines work best if provided with several keywords. So how do you determine whichkeywords will work best?

The recommended maximum is 6 to 8 carefully chosen words, preferably nouns and objects. Search enginesconsider articles (a, an, the) and pronouns (I, you, we, etc.) clutter, so do not include them in a search. Usemodifiers or adjectives only when they help to define the object more precisely—as in "Siamese cat" ratherthan just "cat."



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Use of Phrases

The most powerful search tool is the keyword phrase. Phrases are combinations of two or more words thatsearch documents for the EXACT phrase that is entered. Search for an exact phrase by surrounding it withquotation marks (e.g. “Siamese cat”).

Punctuation and Capitalization

Search engines ignore case; queries can be typed in uppercase, lowercase, or a mix of cases. If usinglowercase, most engines match on both upper and lower case—so for general searches, lowercase is theeasiest form to use.

Advanced Searching

Most search engines have an advanced search option. If you’re unsure of the best way to search forsomething, it is often helpful to choose “Advanced Search.” Advanced Search provides various search tools;fill in as many as necessary.



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Boolean Operators

Boolean searching is a powerful technique that can narrow a search to a reasonable number of results andincrease the chance of those results being useful. Boolean searches can be very effective and are oftenused instead of advanced searching. The three most commonly used Boolean commands or "operators" are AND, OR, and AND NOT (which must be capitalized!).

AND means I want only documents/websites that contain both/all words.

For instance, the search new york AND empire state building AND tours returns only documents thatcontain all three keywords or phrases. AND is the most frequently used Boolean command. Search enginestypically assume you mean “and” when entering several terms, so it may not be necessary to use it.

OR means I want documents/websites that contain either word; I don't care which.

A search for poodle OR golden retriever OR beagle returns all documents that contain any one of thesethree keywords or phrases.

AND NOT means I want documents that contain this word, but not if the document also contains anotherword.

The query (car OR auto) AND mercury AND NOT planet returns documents that include Mercuryautomobiles, but not those that include the planet Mercury. AND NOT only applies to the word or phrasethat immediately follows it. Most search engines support the AND NOT command. It is sometimes calledBUT NOT or NOT, and is sometimes indicated by placing a minus sign (-) before the term or phrase to beomitted. Check the search tips of the engine you're using to see which form of AND NOT it accepts. Beforeapplying AND NOT, try a simpler search.



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Quick Tips

Use mainly nouns as search keywords. There is no need to use articles (a, the), pronouns (he, it),conjunctions (and, or), or prepositions (to, from) in searches

Use a maximum of 6 to 8 keywords per query

When possible, combine keywords into phrases by using quotation marks, as in "orange juice"

Spell carefully and consider alternate spellings

Avoid redundant terms

If you have difficulty, check the "Help" function of the particular search engine you're using—all haveslightly different preferences

A successful internet search can take several tries. But remember, it's estimated that there are nearly abillion documents online—with no master system for organizing the information! Therefore, effectivesearches take experience, patience, and ingenuity.

Evaluating Search Results

Knowing what types of search terms to use is the first step; now you need to determine which results arerelevant. This process is often hit-or-miss; sometimes it is necessary to scan several websites before findingthe exact information you seek.

As Google is the search engine used most often, we’ll discuss Google’s webpage-ranking system, which isexplained in more detail at http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html . PageRank, the technology thatdetermines the “importance” of a webpage by looking at what other pages link to it, tends to give priority tobetter respected and trusted information, and well-respected sites usually link to other well-respected sites.This linking boosts the page rank of high-quality sites. Consequently, more accurate pages are typically

listed before sites that include unreliable material.

However, many people publish pages only to get people tobuy something or accept a certain point of view (particularlythose listed with the words “Ad” or “Sponsored Links”).Google makes no effort to discover or eliminate unreliableand erroneous material, so it’s up to you to develop thehabit of healthy skepticism.

Keep in mind that anyone can create a webpage—as aresult, sites can contain false information (whetherpurposeful or accidental) and are sometimes solely opinion.Just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true!

The New Yorker July 5, 1993

http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html






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When evaluating the credibility of a page, try to remember the following AAOCC (Authority, Accuracy,

Objectivity, Currency, Coverage) criteria and questions created by the University of California at Berkeley,

adapted from this site:

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

Authority

Who are the authors? Are they qualified/credible?

With whom are they affiliated? Do their affiliations affect their credibility?

Who is the publisher? What is the publisher’s reputation?

Accuracy

Is the information accurate? Is it reliable and error-free?

Are the interpretations and implications reasonable?

Is there evidence to support conclusions? Is the evidence verifiable? Do the authors properly list their sources, references, and citations with dates, page numbers, or

web addresses, etc.?

Objectivity

What is the purpose of the site? What do the authors want to accomplish?

Does this purpose affect the presentation?

Is there an implicit or explicit bias?

Is the information fact or opinion?

Currency

Is the information current? If not, is it still valid?

When was the site last updated?

Is the site well-maintained? Are there broken links?

Coverage

Is the information relevant to your topic or assignment?

What is the intended audience?

Is the material presented at an appropriate level?

Is the information complete? Is it unique?

It’s usually not necessary to worry about all of these questions when searching for basic information such asrecipes, a movie, or the weather —but when seeking in-depth information that needs to be accurate, thinkingabout these questions is the best way to ensure that the information is credible and current.






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Learn More about Searching the Web

BOOKS:

Adams, Tyrone. Internet Effectively: A Beginner's Guide to the World Wide Web.

Addison Wesley, 2005.

Hock, Randolph. The Extreme Searcher's Internet Handbook: A Guide for theSerious Searcher . CyberAge Books, 2007.025.04 HOCK

Jakubiak, David J. A Smart Kid's Guide to Doing Internet Research. PowerKids Press, 2010.J 001 .42028 JAKUB

Miller, Michael. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Search secrets [electronic resource]. Que, 1999.NETLIBRARY

ONLINE:

Media Awareness Networkhttp://www.media-awareness.ca/english/index.cfm

Tips for Searching Effectively with Google (about.com)http://google.about.com/od/searchingtheweb/ss/useefectivesbs.htm

How to Search the Web More Effectively (eHow.com)http://www.ehow.com/how_2162683_search-web-more-effectively.html

GoogleGuide: Evaluating What You Findhttp://www.googleguide.com/evaluating_results.html

Johns Hopkins University: Evaluating Information Found on the Internethttp://guides.library.jhu.edu/evaluatinginformation

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/index.cfm


http://google.about.com/od/searchingtheweb/ss/useefectivesbs.htm


http://www.ehow.com/how_2162683_search-web-more-effectively.html


http://www.googleguide.com/evaluating_results.html


http://guides.library.jhu.edu/evaluatinginformation







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Effectively Searching the Web