Databases & Websites by Subject

Net-Tips - Search Engines

Or How Do I Find What I'm Looking For

If you have a specific web address, it is very easy to find what you are looking for. But what if you don't have an address, or if you want to look at many different sites on a particular topic? In these situations, the easiest way to find information is to use search engines.

There are many different search engines—some are broad and cover all types of information, while others are limited to a particular topic. Some of the more popular search engines are:

Ask.com

Google

Yahoo

Search engines are set up to perform key word searching to locate information on the Internet. By typing a word or phrase, the search engine will look for sites containing those words. Each search engine may perform searches in different ways, so look for each search engine's help page.

Words to use to limit or expand your search results:

And—both words or phrases are somewhere within the sites
Example: college and financial aid

Or—at least one of your search terms appears
Example: Soviet Union or Russia

Not—excludes any site containing the word
Example: Mexico not New

Quotation Marks:

Words enclosed within quote marks tell the search engine to look for that exact phrase. It treats the phrase like one word, rather than searching for each word individually.
Example: "Chicago White Sox"

Tips:

• Use at least two search engines. You should receive different results from each search engine.

• Limit your query to two or three keywords.

• If you don't get what you want, try again. By using different keywords, your search might be more successful.

• Double-check your spelling. If a word is spelled incorrectly, you won't find what your're looking for.

Prepared by Keith Barlog, September 2009