I. General tips
Searching the WWW and other subscribed
databases for relevant information requires certain type of expertise. The kind
of expertise needed may vary from one search engine to other however; following
preliminary searching hints will definitely be of good help.
Choose a search engine, Database, directory or library in accordance with the kind
of search you are doing and the kind of results you are seeking.
Consider: What exactly you are looking for? General information that might be
available in public domain or Academic articles that might be available in
public domain as well as in subscribed databases.
Determine your aims: Do you want a specific hard-to-find document on an
esoteric subject, or general information on a broader topic? Do you need to
search the entire Web, or is what you are seeking likely to be found on a
number of sites, or only the most popular sites?
In making your choice, determine whether
the information you are looking for is likely to be in a page's title or first paragraph, or buried deeper
within the document or site. These you
may be likely to define while making advance search in subscribed databases.
Use a search engine's advanced features, if available, and read the help files if you are unclear about its searching procedure.
I. Choosing Search Terms and Syntax
Enter synonyms, alternate spellings and alternate forms (e.g. dance, dancing, and
dances) for your search terms.
Enter all the singular or unique terms, which are likely to be included in the document, or
site you are seeking.
Avoid using very common terms (e.g. Internet, people),
which may lead to a preponderance of irrelevant search results.
Determine how your search engine uses
capitals and plurals, and enter
capitalized or plural forms of your search words if appropriate.
Use a phrase or proper name if possible to
narrow your search and
therefore retrieve more relevant results (unless you want a large number of
results).
Use multiple operators (e.g. AND, OR, NOT) if a search engine allows you to do so.
If you receive too many results, refine
and improve your search. (After perusing the results, you may become aware of
how to use NOT - e.g.
Pay attention
to proper spacing and punctuation in your search syntax (i.e. no space
when using + means +term not + term)