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Internet
Search Techniques And Research Tips Research
Tips A
brief summary of tips to extrapolate means by which to improve research skills. Introduction Searching
the Net requires a patient, positive attitude and the willingness to keep trying
until desired results are obtained. Becoming a good researcher takes insight,
experience, and perseverance along with luck. A lot of practice is needed to
become a proficient researcher. The
availability of too much information is just as bad as having too little
information. An overwhelming burden of information to wade through to find the
needed knowledge is equally as exasperating as not finding any information. The
goal of research is to find pertinent information quickly so try to avoid the
pitfalls of too much/too little data by efficiently designing your research
strategies. You need to put some thought into designing your Internet search
strategies before commencing to research. Some challenges you may face while
Internet researching are: the searches take time, the needed information does
not always exist, too much vaguely relevant information is found, you are not
looking in the right place, you are not asking your search tool to perform a
search in the best way, you can't manage found information due to an
overabundance of it, slow network connections retard your progress, and site
locations with needed information can vanish all too quickly. You
have to be able to overcome the challenges of Internet research to efficiently
and quickly perform searches. This guide will cover some things to do to improve
your research skills but the actual job of skill improvement is up to you. Beginning
Your Search The
start of your search is the most important time to determine your strategies and
the type of information needed. Make certain you plan your searches before
commencing the search. Improve
Your Searching Abilities Choose
a starting place for your search that is likely to provide the type of
information being sought. In other words, use the search tool chosen for the job
it was intended to do. Different starting points (different search tools) can
lead to different results. Try a variety of search tools if you are having
difficulty finding sought for information. Know
the tool being used and read the "Help" pages for that tool. The biggest
mistake anyone makes is usually the failure to read the directions on using a
particular search tool. Do
not assume failure too quickly when the information being sought proves elusive.
Try variations on research starting places, search tools, and various search
techniques to see which yield the best results. Conversely, do not assume
success too quickly since better sources may exist. Examine several resources
before accepting any located information as being true and valid. In other
words, you need to confirm the data you have located is correct. You must
provide your own quality assurance. If you ever have any questions about the
validity of a source, a librarian can help you determine if the source is
trustworthy. Keep
an open mind to various search strategies and possible resources, experiment
with numerous, different research techniques, and constantly seek faster search
methods. While doing this, accumulate knowledge, learn from your experiences,
develop your intuition, and aim at progressively improving since research skills
develop on a gradual learning curve. You won't become a research wizard
overnight but you can certainly achieve average proficiency in short order. Identify
And Develop Your Topic Prior To Starting State
your topic as a question and ask yourself "What am I seeking?". Be sure to
have a clear topical focus, outline the search, determine the topical keywords
you will use as search terms, and have some strategies for narrowing/broadening
searches before starting your research. When you start researching a topic, you
should have a vague outline of what you know and use that information to find
the remaining information needed to fill in the blanks. Write it down on paper
in outline form, or whatever style works best for you, if necessary. Use the
information you know to find the information you do not know. Find
background information related to your topic and know the basics of your topic
before attempting any complicated searches. Use known sources to set the
research context and to obtain terms and background knowledge to use for
keywords/search terms. Check
the bibliographies or links of any resources you view or consult. Most Internet
sites link to similar sites so use this to your advantage. Use all available
resources and mine them for information. Finding several different resources
that all say the same thing on a topic is a good thing since this confirms the
information you located is most likely correct. However this is not always true
so be certain consulted resources are reputable. Start
with a Web directory for unfamiliar topics. Browse by subject category until you
find sites dealing with your topic of choice. Then use the key words you derive
from this in a search engine to find more information relevant to your research. If
starting your research with a search engine, use general key terms until more
specific topically related terms are found. Then recraft your search with those
terms. If
you are familiar with the research topic, try a narrowly focused search strategy
to start with to save time. In
either case of search strategy choice, avoid using ambiguous phrases since these
are rarely relevant. Always use explicit terms that precisely define the topical
concept being researched. Always
start with a broad keyword focus and narrow the search with more specific
keywords as you go. Once you have determined the useful keywords for your topic,
try putting adjoining words/phrases in quotes. If familiar with your subject
area, then go ahead and start with the narrower focused, more specific keywords. To
summarize the above paragraphs, use keyword searching for narrow/complex
searches, and subject searching for broad topics. Determine
Needed Keywords/Use The Subject Language Of The Topic Researched Find
topical keywords in a thesaurus or subject-heading list and peruse any topical
resources you have found for subject jargon that could possibly be used for
search terms. Avoid using common everyday words as key terms since these are
likely to bring up many useless junk hits in search results. Use correct
spelling and consider alternate spellings, particularly in the case of commonly
misspelled words or foreign usages of your language. Determining keywords prior
to a search can save a lot of expended time and effort. Examine
Search Results For Additional Search Terms Examine
terms that pop up in your search results to obtain clues for additional keywords
that can be used to refine a search. Always scan useful found resources for
additional terms that can be used to narrow a search. Pay
Attention To Word Form The
way a word is typed or the fact of it being entered in singular or plural form
can sometimes greatly affect the number of retrieved search results. If you use
a plural word form in a search and find nothing, try a singular form, and vice
versa. Compound
words are another word form that can give problems during a search. Search
compound words and words containing internal punctuation in both ways meaning
you should do the search with the compound words joined together with their
internal punctuation and those same words with a space between their internal
punctuation. Search tools are sometimes sensitive to inner punctuation or the
lack of it. Case
sensitivity can be a determining factor in some search tools. As a general rule,
use lower case except for proper names and search operators. Most search tools
retrieve both lower case and capitalized words if typed in lower case.
Capitalizing terms can sometimes reduce the number of retrieved hits but most
search tools ignore keyword case. Read the search tool "Help" to find out if
the tool being used is case sensitive. Language
Limits Limit
searches to languages you use or understand. No sense in having search results
come up in the hits list if you don't understand what is being said. This just
gives extra baggage to wade through which eats up time. Use
Proper Search Operators Use
the correct symbols, syntax, or menus for the search tool being used. Use any
available special operators or functions to your advantage. For example: Limit
searches to a date range when appropriate, Use +/- operators to require/prohibit
terms, Use wild cards when available, etc. Special operators/limitors like these
help reduce the number of irrelevant hits and more precisely focus a search. Record
Where Information Is Found Bookmark
or write down each useful source found that may be needed later so you won't
waste time looking for it later if it is needed again. This also provides you
the information to properly cite the source in the case of papers that need
proper source crediting. Keep a search log for large, time-consuming searches to
track consulted sources. Be
Flexible And Try Several Search Methods Net
categorization is not standardized so no two sites will list things identically.
No two Web directories place resource links in the same categories. Be flexible
in accepting this and think of other possible categories, etc when browsing if
you do not find the topical category in the expected place. Search
strategy experimentation is often necessary since desired information will not
always be found with the first search strategy used. Try different key terms,
vary the keyword entry order, try different variations of Boolean, nesting,
wildcards, quotes, etc if necessary. Use the complicated search methods as a
last resort. Tailor
Searches To The Proper Search Tool Use
search tools for their intended purpose. It does no good to use an address
search engine to look for etext. Use specialty, subject specific search tools
for narrow topics if one exists. Repeat
searches in different search tools to confirm found results and to pick up
additional sites missed by other search tools. Use multiple search engines or a
metasearch engine to cast broader searches in terms of the number of sites
canvassed. No single search tool will yield all possible resources. Evaluate
Found Resources To See If Search Is Successful Relevant
hits usually appear first in the hits list. If no relevant results are seen in
the first three or so pages of hits, redo your search. If
too many/few search hits are found, narrow or broaden the search focus as
necessary. Use
more specific terms if too many hits arise. Shifting the order the keywords are
entered in can help. If
the needed information is found, your search does not need refining. Check
the following for potential search strategy problems if you are not finding the
desired information: Spelling, keyword choice, use more/less terms, and the
strengths/weaknesses of the search tool used. Internet
searches require constant strategy evaluation or modification, and have no hard
rules. Previously working search methods may not work at a later date. Remember
this and change strategies when necessary. Search
efficiently as possible. The quicker information is located, the quicker your
task is accomplished. There
is no such thing as an incorrect search strategy. There are only
efficient/inefficient search strategies. No strategy is incorrect so long as the
desired information is found. Sometimes
searches cannot be narrowed and results have to be waded through. If this
happens, bite the bullet and wade through the results. Remember,
some information does not exist online and print resources, or subject field
experts, will have to consulted to obtain the desired information. Other
Useful Hints And Tips Browser
Hints That Help Web Searches Ctrl-F
Key Combination Sometimes
it may not be apparent why a link was retrieved. When this happens, use the
"Find" feature to search for text representing your main term(s) in the page
to see what context it is appearing within. This can give clues as to how to
further limit your search or which keywords may need dropping. This can also be
used to quickly skip ahead to the part concerning the information you are
seeking. Bookmarks Bookmark
regularly repeated searches to repeat them at a later date. Bookmark useful
sites when they are found so you will not have to search for them later. Truncate
URLs To Go Higher Up In A Site Searches
often retrieve links to many documents at one site. If you find useful
information and want more from that site, truncate the address to see if it
dumps you to a directory or index containing similar documents. This can save
time. This trick doesn't always work. URL
Guessing URL
guessing can save time. Popular people and brands are often found this way. The
same is true for large corporations and institutions. Here are some examples:
Most company Internet addresses are in the form www.company_name.com. US
universities are in the .edu domain
and often follow a pattern like www.school_name.edu. Guessing URLs is often
quicker than an Internet search for the institution in question. Wildcards Wildcards
help cover more ground in one search and are useful for retrieving variant
spellings and words with common roots. Some search tools allow wildcard
characters but not all search engines support this option. For search tools that
use wildcards, some permit only right truncation (psycholog*) while others support middle truncation (colo?r).
Use this strategy, when supported, since it can give additional results. Read
the "Help" of the search tool used to see if this feature is supported. Relevancy
Ranking Search
engines rank hits in relevance order so it is often not necessary to browse more
than the first few pages of hits. Some search engines allow searchers to
determine which terms are more important. Some have a "more like this"
feature that permits generating new queries based on relevant documents
retrieved by the initial search. Use these when available. Search
Strategies Vary Among Search Tools Each
search engine has a "Help" page. Read it to find out how the search tool
works. This is not optional. Most questions people have about search tools are
answered in the "Help". Read the "Help" before asking someone else for
help. Settle
On One Search Tool For Main Use And Be Familiar With Others Learn
several search tools. Use your main search tool first and then the others when
desired results are not found with the main search tool. Use
A Search Engine To Search A Particular Site If
a site does not have a search option, use a search engine to search it. This is
quicker than wandering the site. This option is often found on the advanced
search page of most search engines. Use
Multiple Browser Sessions To
avoid losing your place on a Web page with lots of links and information, open
the links on this page in a second browser or tab. This leaves the original page
window open to where you left off while you explore found links in another
separate page. Close the link pages when you are done with them. If you use the
Mozilla Web browser, then open the new links in a tab. Keep
Up With Internet Resources Subscribe
to mailing lists like Lii, NetSurfer or FreePint to keep up with new
informational resources. They often find resources you might not find on your
own. These are put together by information professionals. Stick
To The Research Topic Do
not get sidetracked when doing research. If something interesting unrelated to
the topic is found, bookmark it and go back later. Stick to the subject at hand.
Doing otherwise is just surfing and not research. Use
Print Resources For Supplementary Help Do
not hesitate to use print resources to aid electronic searches. Use whatever
works for you. Quality
Evaluation Evaluate
the quality of the information and the site where it was found in the same
manner as a print resource. Title
Searching Limit
searches to page titles to reduce the number of hits and increase the likelihood
of finding relevant info particularly when using popular terms or words. Invisible
Web Search
engines do not index the entire Internet. Much of the Internet is not searchable
since it is contained within a database or other type of resource that cannot be
indexed. This is known as the "Invisible Web". Use a search engine to locate
searchable databases by searching using a subject term and the word database.
Use Invisible Web resources as needed. Number Of Keywords Try to use no more than six to eight specific keywords. Each keyword used reduces the number of hits. Use the least amount of keywords possible when searching. Add keywords one at a time until your info is found. Put The Most Important Terms First Put the main subject term first. Documents matching the first terms or phrases entered rank higher. Enter search terms in the importance order to your search. Combine Multiple Concepts With Nesting Use multiple query concepts to narrow and target results. Search operators are combined to more narrowly focus a search. Here are some simple examples:
Use A Search Tool With Boolean Capability These are good for advanced searches where precise control over how keywords are processed is needed. Search Engines And Directories Search services are of two types: Search engines that index document words, and Directories that classify documents. Most search tools belong to the former. Yahoo is an example of the latter. Search engines retrieve documents and index all terms, or all terms within the first few sentences, the Web site title, or document meta-tags. This varies so read the search tool "Help" page to see what is indexed. Search directories work differently. People view sites and classify them. Then keywords describing those sites can be used to search the database to find sites. Directories can be browsed by category instead of searching them. Use these for broad searches. Special search directories that only catalog specialty information areas also exist. Use those for their intended subject fields. Search Styles There is no one correct search method. Search styles vary and there is no agreed upon "best strategy". The only thing that matters is getting desired results quickly as possible. In other words, use what works best for you. No matter how precise a query, many search hits are not relevant. Getting search results is quick but finding useful links is time consuming. Large amounts of search hits requires extra evaluation time. This often happens due to improper formulation of the search strategy. Precise queries lead to fewer hits to review and faster obtaining of desired results. Properly forming a query and knowing how the search tool works reduces the amount of useless hits to wade through. Put some effort into forming effective search queries for complicated or popular topics. Things To Remember About Search Tools/Web Directories Web directories are not for specific searches but are general-purpose search tools. Information in directories often are second hand answers. They are not primary sources. Directories are not as comprehensive as a search engine. Use directories for a general search when unsure of how to refine it. Doing so often gives needed terms and clues to refine a search. Use Specialized Search Tools For Narrow Searches Use the right tool for the job. Specialized resources often have more specific, better information than search tools. WWW3 Virtual Library, Argus Clearinghouse, and the Stumpers Archive are good for obscure or specialized information. Try an Invisible Web search directory. Usenet and discussion group FAQs are good places to find info on specialized topics. Try a FAQ for a group that discusses the topic being researched. Pick A Favorite Search Tool Learn a couple of search tools well and use those consistently rather than trying to use all of them. Look at search tool features to pick appropriately for research needs. Evaluate your search tool choice periodically since search tools are rapidly being developed. Read The Search Tool Instructions When was the last time you read the search tool "Help" page? Read it for search tips and useful tricks that are not obvious from the search interface. This seems obvious but many people never read the instructions. Read it several times if needed. I cannot overemphasize this enough. Do Not Get Sidetracked When Searching When doing an Internet search don't become sidetracked by other interesting sites. Focus on your task. Metasearch Engines - Things To Know Try a metasearch tool such as Dogpile or Metacrawler to cast a broader search net. Metasearch tools take a query and pass it to a group of other search tools. You can usually specify which tools should be searched and how thorough a search should be conducted. This way, you can search with a single query, instead of trawling several separate search tools. This is not as complete a search as searching an individual search tool. Use metasearch tools for obscure questions or for getting several search tool results simultaneously. You may not get all hits from a specific search tool using a metasearch. While you may get good hits, you may miss some of the better ones because they require specific search tool features to find. If you don't have enough results, try some single search tool searches. Metasearch tools are a last resort mostly good for massive trawling to see what pops up on multiple search tools at once. Use Specialized Topical Websites When Applicable Web sites focused on one topic are good resources. These are usually databases. Examples are: West Legal Directory, Pharminfonet, Martindale Hubbell Lawyer Locator, and IPO Central. The "Invisible Web" is a good place for information not locatable via a search tool. www.searchtoolwatch.com and www.invisibleweb.com are good resources for finding "Invisible Web" resources, search tools, and other specialized resources. Confirm Search Results Over Time Repeat the same search strategy in the same search tool over time to see what new information arises if your research is an ongoing project. Modify and implement your search strategy in different ways to see how it affects returned results. Use various search tools or databases to confirm results and to find different results. Examine New Resources When You Get Stuck Try a resource that was useless the last time you tried it. It might have improved. Find an online expert talking about your topic. Examine some Internet discussion forums. People are often the best information resource. Examine FAQs from various topical resources.
Here are other search techniques to help with Internet searches:
Summary Plan the search beforehand to improve search results quality. Decide which keywords will be used and know what strategies you are going to use prior to doing the search. Capitalize proper nouns. This only works with some search tools since most are case insensitive. Some search tools are case sensitive. Use this to your advantage if this is true. Focus on the first 25 sites listed in search results. These are usually the most relevant. Ignore this advice for extremely popular topics which typically yield tons of spam. Use several search tools separately to get comprehensive results. Each search tool has something the others do not. This helps in obtaining a broad overview of available resources. Know one search engine well and be familiar with a few others. Use advanced features that enable search term combining, limiting by date or region, limiting by file type, etc. These are usually found as drop down menus. Sometimes you will have to use a special search syntax for this The order search terms are entered matters. Enter the most important term first followed by the other terms in descending order of importance. Synonyms can improve search results. Be flexible in trying different terms. Not everyone describes a subject in the same way as you. Start with a Web Directory when searching a broad subject area or if you haven't decided upon a specific topical focus. This can give an idea of how a topic is described linguistically and give some more search terms to use. |
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