SEARCH ENGINES

Contents

1. Tips for Searchers
2. Connect to Selected Search Engines
3. Search Engine Comparisons, Tutorials, and Help
4. Practice Searches Worksheets

(used in course-integrated Library Instruction at MSUM, covering many subject areas)

Tips for Searchers

1. THINK about your search/topic before you type your query. Jot down alternative phrases, wordings, and related ideas before you search and also as you go along. Just because you are using a computer, doesn't mean you can't use paper and pen!
   
   
2. NO search engine searches the entire WWW. That is an impossible task to accomplish. Each search engine is an individual database of "selected" Internet material. Most search engines have robots or spiders which go out and find Internet resources. Thus, since each spider/robot is programmed differently, each search engine will have a different set of websites in its database.
   
   
3. Each search engine RANKS the results it gives you differently. That's one reason why it is wise to learn how to use more than one search engine. It will increase your chances of getting what you want in the first few screens of results. Some determining factors in how a site will be ranked include -- how many times your term(s) appear in the page and where in the document your term(s) appear (in the title? the first paragraph?)
   
   
4. See Search Engine Watch's section on How Search Engines Work -- for useful explanations and definitions.
   
   
5. Be aware that search engines are commercial in nature -- they usually include advertisements, AND some search engines SELL rankings. For example, a computer software company may have a web site. This company can pay for its site to be placed higher in the search results when you search for a certain term(s), such as "computer software". For more information, see the following article found in Gale Searchbank (Business Index):
   Compaq's AltaVista to Sell Key Slots in Web Search Results, David Ivanovich, Knight Ridder Information Service
   
6. TAKE ADVANTAGE of the HELP screens within your selected search engine. HELP will actually help you choose the right search technique and will teach you tricks. Some search engines allow for phrase searching, using wildcard/truncation, limiting searches by publication year or type, and so on. If you don't look at the HELP screens, you probably won't know what a search engine can and cannot do.
   
   

Remember -- some search engines are better suited for particular information needs. Knowing how to select THE RIGHT TOOL is important - it will save you time and effort.

7. For more on search engines and search tips, read the following articles from the Gale Searchbank Database:
   
   • Search Engines in the Internet Age, Greg Notess, Online
   • Search and Ye Shall Find, Sacha Cohen, Training and Development

Also try the Other Search Engine Tutorials and Help section at the end of this web site

Connect to Selected Search Engines

The following are a few of the search engines available on the WWW. This is not a complete listing -- just a sampling of what is available.

Directories

• Yahoo -- Try one of Yahoo's categories to narrow your search.

Librarian's Index to the Internet -- Categories and links selected and annotated by librarians.