Searching the Internet

Information Skills tutorial

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Your aim….

… … to get a small number of to get a small number of

–relevantrelevant–specificspecific–qualityquality resultsresults….….

Define your search

first of all think about the topic and first of all think about the topic and list the following:list the following:what the topic iswhat the topic iskey words key words similar words you could usesimilar words you could use

Search Engines UKUK - includes Yahoo! UK and Ireland - includes Yahoo! UK and Ireland worldwideworldwide - includes Yahoo!, Alta Vista, - includes Yahoo!, Alta Vista,

Ask Jeeves, Google, Go.comAsk Jeeves, Google, Go.com metasearch enginesmetasearch engines (searches the search (searches the search

engines) - includes Mamma, Metacrawler, engines) - includes Mamma, Metacrawler, CopernicCopernic

directory-baseddirectory-based - Yellow Pages, Scoot - Yellow Pages, Scoot

Search Engines

Google - Google - www.google.comwww.google.com Yahoo!UK and Ireland - Yahoo!UK and Ireland - www.yahoo.co.ukwww.yahoo.co.uk Yahoo! - Yahoo! - www.yahoo.comwww.yahoo.com Metacrawler - Metacrawler - www.metacrawler.comwww.metacrawler.com MammaMamma - - www.mamma.comwww.mamma.com and many moreand many more

Using the Advanced Search

you usually get a choice of a you usually get a choice of a Basic searchBasic search or an or an Advanced searchAdvanced search

Advanced Search gives you more boxes to Advanced Search gives you more boxes to fill in, so you can be more fill in, so you can be more specificspecific

this means you will get fewer, but much this means you will get fewer, but much moremore relevantrelevant results results

Google features Advanced Advanced

search search option hereoption here

search UK search UK only hereonly here

Google Advanced Search

And / or / not

use AND if you use AND if you must havemust have bothboth terms in terms in the results - the results - e.g. e.g. schools and collegesschools and colleges

use OR if you use OR if you don’t mind eitherdon’t mind either term in term in the results - e.g. the results - e.g. cat or felinecat or feline

use NOT if you use NOT if you don’t wantdon’t want something in something in the results - the results - e.g. e.g. Liverpool and football not EvertonLiverpool and football not Everton

Wildcards

usually * but sometimes ? or another symbolusually * but sometimes ? or another symbol replaces part of a wordreplaces part of a word

educ*educ* - finds educ - finds educationation, educ, educationalational, educ, educatingating etc etc advert*advert* - finds advert, advert - finds advert, advertss, advert, advertisingising, ,

advertadvertisementisement advert advertisementsisements, etc, etc organi*ationorgani*ation - finds organi - finds organissation or organiation or organizzationation chick* or hen* or poultry or fowl*chick* or hen* or poultry or fowl*

Quotation marks

finds words next to each otherfinds words next to each other

““wild flowers”wild flowers”

““landscape design”landscape design”

““mad cow disease”mad cow disease”

Search engines

single words are oksingle words are ok put phrases in quotation marksput phrases in quotation marks it doesn’t matter which case you useit doesn’t matter which case you use some use + instead of ANDsome use + instead of AND the wild card symbol is usually *the wild card symbol is usually *

look in the look in the HelpHelp facility facility

Internet Subject Gateways

these are specially selected websitesthese are specially selected websites chosen by academic expertschosen by academic experts arranged by topic or subject areaarranged by topic or subject area giving quality information – e.g.giving quality information – e.g.

BUBL BUBL www.bubl.ac.ukwww.bubl.ac.uk INTUTE INTUTE www.intute.ac.ukwww.intute.ac.uk PINAKES - More Gateways PINAKES - More Gateways

www.hw.ac.uk/libwww/irn/pinakes/pinakes.www.hw.ac.uk/libwww/irn/pinakes/pinakes.htmlhtml

Evaluating your results

are they…..are they….. what about…what about…

relevant?relevant? coverage?coverage?accurate?accurate? authority?authority?current?current? content?content?good quality?good quality? sources?sources?

Exercise – evaluate a web site

http://www.dhmo.org/http://www.dhmo.org/

Explore the site and evaluate it Explore the site and evaluate it using using wwwwww

- wwhat are its strengths?hat are its strengths?- wwhat are its weaknesses?hat are its weaknesses?- wwhat is dhmo?hat is dhmo?

Exercise – evaluate a website

Choose any website and evaluate it Choose any website and evaluate it using a different using a different wwwwww

WhoWho is responsible for it? is responsible for it? WhereWhere is it from? (which country /organisation/ is it from? (which country /organisation/

individual?)individual?) WhenWhen was it last updated? was it last updated?

Exercise – searching with Google

try outtry out Google Advanced Search Google Advanced Search and see how and see how many hits you get…many hits you get…

Type a phraseType a phrase into the first box,into the first box,then try searching - then try searching -

- with with allall of the words of the words- with the with the exact phraseexact phrase- with with at least oneat least one of the words of the words- without one of the wordswithout one of the words

If you don’t get enough results

expand the topic – use expand the topic – use more, or more, or different, termsdifferent, terms

TipTip:: find more keywords from find more keywords from previous search resultsprevious search results

If you get too many results

if you get too many hits, you need toif you get too many hits, you need to

refinerefine your search your search

narrow it down by setting narrow it down by setting LimitsLimits (by year, (by year, language etc)language etc)

try try different key wordsdifferent key words

General tips...

alwaysalways check the check the HelpHelp facility facility be prepared to do many searches using be prepared to do many searches using

different keywordsdifferent keywords use keywords from your previous use keywords from your previous

search resultssearch results the more operators and limits you use, the more operators and limits you use,

the more the more relevantrelevant your results will be your results will be

Useful books in the library

searching the Internetsearching the Internet online searching online searching search engine guidessearch engine guides study skills sectionstudy skills section

Search strategies

……for more advanced search strategies….for more advanced search strategies….

Try ourTry our

AdvancedAdvanced Search Strategies tutorialSearch Strategies tutorial

Finally…..

Please ask the library staff if you need help Please ask the library staff if you need help

Happy searching!Happy searching!

Thank you !

Learning Resource CentreLearning Resource Centre

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