Search Query Formulation

 Develop Your Search Query Prior To Searching

Analyze your question to ensure you have phrased it correctly.

Tailor search methods to the problem to be solved. Not all searches are done the same way.

Decide whether a Boolean or a Natural Language search is needed. Then develop an effective search query.

Determine the keywords to use. Modify keywords if desired search results are not obtained.

Redo or refine the query if desired results are not found.

Learn from your search results. Clues that lead to more information can be found here.

Think like a detective when doing a search. This is the frame of mind needed.

Keywords/Query Concepts: What, Where, When, How, Why

The most difficult part of search strategy formulation is deciding upon the keywords to use. Carefully choose and use a sufficient number of appropriate keywords. A common mistake is not providing enough keywords.

When formulating a search, ask what is sought as a question and formulate the topic. A query is a search for missing/needed information. Ask the "Who/What, Where, When, How, and Why" questions about your search topic. All of these categories will not always apply to all queries. This helps show where you need to focus and shows you what is/is not known.

Reduce The Query To Its Singular Parts

Analyze the query in terms of its parts. Decide which are/are not relevant. Make sure your queries are modular enough so query parts are easily interchangeable. You should be able to mix and match key terms, phrases, etc. Think of this as similar to stacking colored blocks and removing one block to substitute another in its place.

Stop Words Are Useless Key Terms

Common words, prepositions, conjunctions, and common verbs such as "and, about, the, of, in, as, if, and it" are examples of stop words. Do not use stop words. They are usually ignored and vary among search tools. Read the "Help" page for the search tool used to find out what the stop words are for that tool. Know how stop words are handled and know when/when not to use these. Stop words are handled in one of the following ways among search tools: Ignored whether in a phrase or not, Ignored if a stand-alone word, or Searched if part of a phrase.

Nouns And Objects Should Be Your Query Terms

Keyword types should be nouns since they are the most precise query terms. Adverbs and adjectives can help refine a search but should usually be avoided as singular terms since they are not always applicable. Exceptions are when they help define a noun such as in "Sitting Bull", "Running Duck", "Purple People Eater", etc.

Word Stemming/Truncation And Wildcards

Use these when they can save you from having to type both the single and plural forms of a term.

Keyword Specificity

Finding the right level of specificity can be hard. Too broad and too many results are returned, too narrow and too few are returned. Use a thesaurus, search directory, etc to help choose appropriate keywords.

Keyword Synonyms/Alternate Keywords

Have alternate keyword terms available if needed. A thesaurus, dictionary, personal knowledge, or a preliminary Net search are some places to find synonyms.

Keyword Phrasing

When phrasing, consider punctuation and other grammatical nuances. For example, spaces between words are important. If a double space is put between words and the phrase has only one, the search may fail. If two dashes were used and you had only one dash, the search tool may miss documents that have two dashes. Search tools vary in how spaces, dashes, and such are treated. Submit phrases in different ways to find the variations when you think this is needed.

Avoid One Word Searches

Use phrases and not just a singular word to help eliminate unrelated hits. Avoid using common words for search terms except in phrases. Exceptions are rare, uncommon words unlikely to be used except in proper context.

Understand Search Tool Options

Effective searching requires knowing the search tool options. New tools arise, others die, and search tool options change. Keep up with the major search tools to see if new operators have been added to them. Try new search tools to see if a better one can be found. This will be an ongoing process so long as you use the Net.