Searching the Internet
Features of Search Directories:
Search Directories organize and index information from the World Wide Web
according to subject classifications. Developers of search directories examine
Web sites for subject content and place them in appropriate categories. Information
provided is evaluated and selected. They are useful for identifying relevant sites
on particular topics.
Features of Search Engines:
Search engines perform keyword searches which are created by software programs
often referred to as "robots" or "spiders". Information provided is NOT evaluated,
selected or organized. Search engines can be very useful tools for finding specific
pieces of information.
Features of Meta-Search Engines:
Meta-search engines allow searchers to type their search statement(s)
into a search box. The meta-search engines search multiple engines simultaneously
and retrieve information from every tool queried. Meta-search engines save searching
time and provide a good overview of web documents meeting the search criteria.
Search results, however, might contain documents that are not relevant to needed information.
Search Tools Comparison
- Using + or - sign
- Attaching a plus sign (+) to a word, requires that word be included in
all the search results. For example:
+media - requires "media" found in the search.
+media +coverage - requires both words found in the search.
- Attaching a minus sign (-) to a word, requires that word be excluded in
all the search results. For example:
-cable - requires that "cable" NOT to be found in the search.
+television -cable - requires that "television" to be found, but NOT "cable".
- Phrase Searching
- Putting quotes (" ") around a phrase will retrieve documents that
contain the phrase in the exact order typed. For example:
"media report about Kosovo"
- Phrase searching greatly limits the number of documents retrieved.
- As some search engines are case sensitive, you need to set up the phrase
search accordingly.
- You can combine phrase searching with + or - signs. This search
will reduce your search results to an even greater extent. For example:
+"self promotion" - includes this phrase in the search.
-"self help" - excludes this phrase in the search.
- Using Boolean Operators
AND, OR, NOT are the three most used Boolean operators. All operators must be
put in CAPITAL letters to distinguish them from their surrounding words or phrases.
- AND -- Use AND between two terms to retrieve documents that contain
both words. AND limits the number of documents retrieved. For example:
television AND cable
- OR -- Use OR between two terms to retrieve documents that contain either term.
OR expands the number of documents retrieved. For example:
television OR cable
- NOT -- Use NOT between two terms to retrieve documents with one term,
but not the other. NOT limits the number of documents retrieved. For example:
television NOT cable
- Word Stemming (*)
Using an asterisk (*) at the end of word retrieves all variants of that word in
the document. Word stemming expands the number of documents retrieved. For example:
telv* -- retrieves televise, televised, televising,
television, television, etc...
Internet Search Strategy Guides
Internet resources provide current and valuable information on a variety of
subjects. However, information available via the Internet can be misleading, biased,
deliberately fraudulent, outdated, or erroneous. It is very important to develop
critical skills on how to evaluate these resources rather than having a
blind faith in any information provided by the Internet. The following are suggested
CRITERIA to consider for evaluating Internet resources.
- Authority
- Key Questions
- Is there an author/producer of the site?
- What are the credentials of the author/producer?
Is he/she an expert in his/her field?
- Is contact information such as the e-mail address
of the author/producer included?
- Finding Answers
- Check biographical sources for information on the
author/producer, or ask a subject expert to find out if the
author/producer is recognized by his/her peers.
- Read through Web pages to see if there is an e-mail address.
- View "Document Info" or "Page Info" of Web pages (Open box).
- Audience
- Key Questions
- Is there a stated intent of the site? Does it meet the
needs of the intended audience?
- What is the coverage of the site? Is the content appropriate?
- Finding Answers
- Check the introduction of the site to find the purpose
and motivation for the information.
- Read through the site and use your own judgment, or ask a
subject expert to review the information.
- Reliability
- Key Questions
- How accurate and reliable is the information provided?
- Are references, citations or links to other resources included?
- Is there a bias or commercial interest?
- Does the author/producer have the authority to provide
information in that field?
- Finding Answers
- Compare the information found from the Net with print
sources if possible.
- Check biographical sources or critiques to get other opinions.
- Read slanted information with critical eyes.
- Look at the URL to determine what type of organization
produced the site.
- Timeliness
- Key Questions
- When was the site created and when was it last updated?
- Is the information provided current, or is it for
historical purposes?
- Finding Answers
- Read through the site to find the dates of when the site
was produced and when it was last updated.
- Read through the content of the site and use your own judgment.
Web Evaluation Articles
Last Modified: Sep 13, 2007 - 12:54
http://library.pittstate.edu/ref/internet.html
