Search Techniques

Search engines look different but use the same principles of Boolean searching. You can construct both broad and narrow searches depending on how you enter and combine terms. You can search by phrases and find all the forms of a word by using truncation.

Boolean Search Operators

AND

• Using AND between two terms means that both terms must be present in the document to retrieve it.
• AND limits the number of items retrieved.
• Search Examples: king AND dream
  cats AND dogs
  

OR

• Using OR between two terms means that either term can be present in the document.
• OR expands the number of items retrieved.
• OR is the default used by many Web search tools.
• Search Example: cats OR dogs

NOT

• Using NOT between two terms means that one term must be present and the second term must not be present in the document.
• NOT limits the number of items retrieved.
• Search Example: mouse NOT rodent

Combining Searches

• You can combine different Boolean operators to create different kinds of searches.
• You will most often want to combine searches to limit the number of responses you retrieve.
• Search Example: king AND dream NOT burger

Phrase Seaching

• Greatly limits the number of responses you will retrieve.
• In most search engines, quotations marks "define the phrase".
• Retrieves a series of words in the exact order you type them.
• Search Example: "chinese food"

Truncation

• Truncation expands the number of responses.
• Usually an * (asterisk) at the end of a word or part of a word will retrieve all forms of the word.
• Search Examples: librar* Retrieves: library, libraries, librarians, librarianship
  bird* Retrieves: bird, birding, birdhouse, birdfeeder

Check out Boolean Searching on the Internet http://library.albany.edu/internet/boolean.html for in-depth information on search techniques.

Popular Search Engines

Search Tips

• Brainstorm keywords prior to conducting your search.
• As a general rule, enclose phrases in quotes (ex. "snow leopard").
• Capitalize the first letter of proper names, place names or organizations. (ex. George W. Bush)
• Start with a directory if you are searching a broad subject area or haven't decided on a specific topic yet.
• Investigate the search tool's Help for search tips.
• Try more than one search tool.

Check out the Internet III tutorial for more search strategies and tips and Search Engine Watch http://www.searchenginewatch.com/ for information on advanced searching and how search engines work.

Test your new-found knowledge with the Internet II Exercise!

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Evaluating Web Sites

The Internet may not be the best source of information on a subject.  Traditional resources should also be consulted to enhance what is retrieved from the Internet.  When evaluating sites found on the Internet, be sure to use the same critical judgment used when evaluating printed materials.

What makes a good Web site?

Is the information accurate?

• Is the information reliable and error-free?
• Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information?
  

Reasons for concern

• Anyone can publish anything on the Web.
• Unlike traditional print resources, Web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers.
• Currently, no standards exist on the Web to ensure accuracy.

It is especially important to be careful with health related web sites.

• Blue Stuff  http://www.bluestuff.com
  

Who wrote the web page?

• Is there an author?  Is the page signed?
• Is the author qualified?  An expert?
• Is there a sponsor? Who is the sponsor?
  

Reasons for concern

• It's often hard to determine a Web page's authorship.
• Even if a page is signed, qualifications aren't usually given.
• Sponsorship may not be indicated.

Similar URLs can lead to very different Web sites:

• Welcome to the White House  http://www.whitehouse.gov
• Welcome to the White House  http://www.whitehouse.net

Is there a bias or point of view?

• Does the information show a minimum of bias?
• Is the page designed to sway opinion?
• Is there advertising on the page?

Reasons for concern

• Frequently the goals of the sponsors/authors aren't clearly stated.
• Many people publish on the Web to express personal opinions.

What is the point of view represented by these sites?

• Global Warming Information Page   http://www.globalwarming.org/
• EPA Global Warming Site  http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming

Is the material up to date?

• Is the page dated? If so, when was the last update?
• How current are the links?
• Have some expired or moved?

Reasons for concern

• Publication or revision dates are not always provided.
• If a date is provided, it may indicate when the material was first written, when it was first placed on the Web, or when it was last revised.

News sites are often very up-to-date.

• CNN  http://www.cnn.com
• ESPN.com http://espn.go.com

Is the page easy to use?

• Is the site laid out clearly and logically with well-organized sections?
• Do links to other sites work?
• Is the writing style appropriate for the intended audience?

Reasons for concern

• Despite their excellent content, web sites that are difficult to read or navigate are confusing.

Which of these web sites is easy to use?

• Intellicast  http://www.intellicast.com
• Healthfinder http://www.healthfinder.gov

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Quick Printing with the Print Icon

Use the Print Icon to print without controlling pages or number of copies.

Printing from the File Menu

From the File Drop Down Menu select Print… to control:

• Number of pages
• Number of copies

Print Preview

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 does identify specific pages with a Print Preview option.  Use Print Preview, to see how a printed Web page will look.

Click the Print Preview button   from the toolbar

                                    OR

From the File drop down menu, select Print Preview.

The Print Preview window opens allowing you to preview the Web page before printing.

Choose from the following options:

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Printing a Page with Frames

If the page has frames, click File from the menu bar. Select Print. Click the Options tab to control which or how many frames you print by checking one of the following boxes:

• As laid out on screen
• Only the selected frame
• All frames individually

Select a frame for printing by clicking in that frame.

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Saving a Web Page

From the File Drop Down Menu
Select Save As...

• Select the 3 Floppy [A] or the Removable Disk (for USB drives) for the Save in option.
• Enter a valid File Name.
• Click on Save.

Control the File Type

• To save all the files needed to display the page, including graphics, frames, and style sheets, select the Web Page, complete option.   This option saves each file in its original format.
• To save all of the information needed to display this page in a single MIME-encoded file, click Web Archive. This option saves a snapshot of the current Web page. This option is available only if you have installed Outlook Express 5 or later.
• To save just the current HTML page, click Web Page, HTML only.  This option saves the information on the Web page, but it does not save the graphics, sounds, or other files.
• To save just the text from the web page, use the Text File option.  This option saves the information on the Web page in straight text format and  would be useful for copying text into another type of software.

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Saving an Image

• Right click on the image
• Select Save Picture As...

• Select the 3 1/2 Floppy [A] or the Removable Disk (for USB drives) for the Save in option.
• Enter a File Name.
• Click on Save.

Save as type:

You can save as the original file type or convert to a .bmp (bitmap) file.

• For a web page, save as the original file type (.jpeg or .gif).
• For a word processing document, save as a .bmp (bitmap) file.

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