Tips for Searching with Search Engines:
- Be as specific as possible.
Start with specific terms or
phrases, and then choose more general terms or use fewer terms if you are
unsuccessful.
- Enclose phrases in quotation marks.
The terms will be retrieved together and
in that order.
- Enter Proper names with capital letters.
Some search engines are case sensitive
but it never hurts to capitalize.
- Word order can be important.
Enter your
most important concept first.
- Be aware of ambiguous words.
Think of the possible various
meanings of words when conducting a search.
- If you don't find what you want in the first 25 to 30 hits, start over.
Rephrase your search. change
the word order. use or eliminate synonyms. Use truncation
symbols. Consider reading the help screen for suggestions.
- Learn to use one meta-search engine.
It is best to sue specific search
engines to do a search. Although meta-search engines can be used to
search many search engines at once.
- Learn one or two search engines well.
Investigate the
"advanced" capabilities of one or two of the major search engines
and be able to use them effectively.