More Searching

Using the Web for research can be very rewarding. However, without some Internet search skills people can become frustrated and might be misled. In this section we review strategies and tools for finding Web resources and for evaluating them.

While the Web will surely have something on any question you put to it, for major research work you may want to consult with your local library for advice on overall search strategy, and availability of commercial online sources for newspapers, periodicals, research papers, and statistical databases.

The Internet is often described as a library with all the books on the floor. There is no single online catalogue to check. More worrisome for the researcher is the vast disparity in quality and the difficulty in distinguishing between the authentic and the spurious. Be sure to do some basic checking into the credentials of the person who created the page, the sponsoring organization, and the date.

What you need to know:

1. Web Searching: This section builds on what you learned in the Starter Kit. It shows the value of subject directories for finding quality sites, and describes the main qualities of the leading search engines. Lastly, it introduces big-sweep searching at metasearch engines.

2. Search Engine Syntax: Each search engine on the Internet uses slightly different rules for structuring searches. Learning the syntax at each is essential.

3. Search Engine Comparison: Expert searchers know the differences in features among the search engines. Use these charts to study the six main services. You might like to print them out and use them as quick reference sheets:

• Comparison Chart 1: Ask, Exalead, Gigablast
• Comparison Chart 2: Google, Bing (formerly Live), Yahoo!

4. Search Engine Guides: It's impossible to remember all the features and specifics of syntax. Use these online search guides to help you construct your search query and refine it. These guides are also good crib sheets for learning about the service.

• Yahoo!, Google, Ask, Bing .

Where to next?

Start with learning more about Web Searching