Strategies for Efficient Searches
Take a moment to analyze your subject and topic by following these search tips.
1. Analyze your subject and topic to decide where to begin.
Download this"pre-search analysis" form to record the information below.
- What unique words, distinctive names,
abbreviations, or acronyms are associated with your topic?
These may be the place to begin because
their specificity will help zero in on relevant pages.
- Can you think of societies , organizations,
or groups that might have information on your subject via their
pages? Search these as a “phrase
in quotes”, looking for a home page that might contain links
to other pages, journals, discussion groups, or databases on your
subject. You may require the “phrase in quotes” to be
in the documents’ titles by preceding it by title:[no space]
- What other words are likely to be
in ANY Web documents on your topic?
You may want to require these by joining them with AND or preceding each by +[nospace]
- Do any of the the words in 1, 2,
or 3 belong in phrases or strings -- together in a certain order,
like a cliché?
Search these as a “phrase in quotes”. (E.g., “affirmative action” or “communicable diseases”)
-
For any of the terms in #4, can you think of synonyms, variant spellings, or equivalent terms you would also accept in relevant documents?
You may want to allow these terms by joining them by OR and including each set of equivalent terms in ( ).
In Infoseek, allow any of them by omitting + and - before them. [no space] [no space]
-
Can you think of any extraneous or irrelevant documents these words might pick up?
You may want to exclude terms or phrases with -[nospace] before each term, or AND NOT -
What broader terms could your topic be covered by?
When browsing subject categories or searching sites of webliographies or databases on your topic, try broader categories.
2. Pick the right starting place
| Do you want an overview or focused information on your topic? | |||||
| Search Engines | Subject Directories |
Specialized Databases
|
Find an Expert | Luck Trial & Error |
|
| Overview |
|
Look for a Directory focused on the broad subject.
|
Use the Direct
Search the |
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Learn as you search. |
|
| More Focused | Do a Boolean search using a search engine. See chart below. |
Look for a specialized Subject Directory focused on your topic. |
Use the Direct
Search the |
E-mail the author of a good page you find. Ask a discussion group or expert. |
|
| *Not
Recommended **What is the "Invisible Web"? |
|||||
| Does your topic have distinctive words or a phrase? | ||||
| Search Engines | Subject Directories |
Specialized Databases
|
Luck Trial & Error |
|
| Yes | Enclose phrases in " ". Test run your word or phrase in Google. |
Search the broader concept, what your term is "about." |
Use the Direct
Search the
|
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Learn as you search. |
| No | Use more than one term or phrase in quotes "
" to get fewer results. |
Try to find distinctive terms in Subject Directories |
Use the Direct
Search the |
|
| Does your topic have a lot of synonyms, equivalent terms, homonyms or variants? | |
|
Synonyms For example, you want your search on economy
to include words like: eononomy,
economics, econometrics, economists |
Do a Boolean search using OR, or Truncation (e.g. econ* in (Alta Vista, Yahoo!, lii.org, Infomine) |
|
Homonyms For example, if you type in police, you get a lot of pages about the rock group |
Do a Boolean search using NOT or - (minus). See chart for Boolean search term types. |
|
Variants For example, you type in "cloning" and get a lot
of joke pages. |
Do a Boolean search using NOT or - (minus). See chart above. |
| Stuck? | |
| Look for a Gateway Page (Subject Guide). Try an encyclopedia in a Virtual Library. Ask at a library reference desk. |
Never hurts to seek help |
3. Learn as you go & VARY
your approach with what you learn. 
Adapted
from: UC Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet. "Finding
Information on the Internet: A Tutorial Recommended Search Strategy:
Analyze your topic & Search with peripheral vision
Workshops" http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Strategies.html
Summary Chart for Types of Boolean Terms Used (What are Boolean terms ?)
| Search Engine |
Full Boolean |
Implied Boolean | Template Terminology |
Adv. Search Method
|
| AND, NOT, OR, " " | AND* OR, -, +, " " | (fill in the blank) | ||
| Google about |
|
|
||
| AltaVista |
|
|
Prisma | |
| Alltheweb |
|
|
Word Filters (refine) | |
| Northernlight |
|
|
Word
Filters subject, source, doc type, date Rival Eye |
|
| Teoma (by Ask Jeeves) |
|
|
Subject
Specific Popularity Authoritative search returns |
|
| AOL
Search options Uses Google |
|
"Narrow Your Search"
Refine by subject, keyword, location; "Other Resources" |
||
| HotBot |
|
|
Search filters | |
| Yahoo! |
|
|
-- | |
| Ask
Jeeves |
Natural Language |
Subject
Specific Popularity |
||
|
Kartoo |
|
Graphic interface for Boolean search |
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| * Implied Boolean uses AND as default (i.e.if you enter stem cell, by default it recognizes stem AND cell) | ||||
