Tips
Use more than one search engine or subject directory
No single search engine indexes all the sites on the Web. If the first result of a search action in one particular search engine or subject directory is not satisfactory, then search in at least one other search engine/subject directory.
Search engines and directories change from day to day
Choose two or three engines or directories you like working with and get to know their ins and outs.
Use the help function of the search engine
Most search engines give indications as to the way the information on the Internet is obtained and the best way to use the search engine. These are indications like 'about,' 'how to,' 'search help,' and 'advanced search.'
A specific search yields the right results
The more specific the search term, the more accurate the results will be. If you specify 'Italian Old-timers,' this specific search term will yield the very result you were looking for. A drawback of such specificity is that there is a good chance of the number of sites found being very low or even zero.
When searching by subject, choose your search terms in such a way that they might form the title of a book or an article in a magazine
If you are looking for information on shoeing horses, the search term "horse care" is likely to yield better results than either "hooves" or "shoeing." "Chinese cooking" is better than "cooked dough balls." However, making your search terms too general may also yield too general, and therefore unusable, results.
In most cases, you can search for a phrase or combination of words by using quotation marks:
:"harvard university library". In most Internet files, searching with "underscores" yields the same result: harvard_university_library.
In order only to find webpages that contain all the search words, use "+".
If you want to exclude a search word, use "-". The plus and minus signs can also be used in combination with a phrase or combination of words. Examples:
* +school_of_public_health +harvard_university
* +titanic -movie
Truncating or abbreviating words with the help of an asterisk.
Example: with "parapsych*", you will find parapsychology, parapsychological, etc. Watch out: "dog*" also yields words like dog-catcher, dogma.
Choose the right search method.
Most search engines, such as AltaVista, index every separate document on the Web. Subject directories or subject catalogues search for, and index, only the most important Internet documents.
If you are using a clear search term to search for an unknown, vaguely described document, a search engine like AltaVista is your best choice.
If you are looking for new documents about the biosphere, your best bet is to start your search action in Yahoo!, Excite, or Infoseek/GO.
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This file prepared and presented as an aid to help students understand the web. Send questions or comments to Royce Shook