Using Search Engines Effectively

There are a variety of search engines and directories available to help you locate information on the World Wide Web. A web search engine allows you, the user, to enter keywords, and search the search engines database of web pages. Since each search engine database is different, which search engine you use and how you enter your search terms will greatly impact your research results. The following  information serves as a guide to help you both choose a search engine and use it effectively.

 

TIP: Looking for specific information on search engine sizes, statistics, reviews? Visit Search Engine Showdown.

 As previously mentioned, a search engine searches a database made up of records of web pages that are indexed.  Databases of images, audio, and video files are also often available.  

 

TIP: To retrieve the most precise records we recommend that you use the "advanced search" option (or something similar) a search engine provides.   

The search boxes correspond to the following Boolean operators:

• all of these words = AND
• this exact phrase = ( ) or " "
• any of these words = OR
• none of these words = NOT

The advanced search screen is similar to online catalogs and online periodical databases in that you can limit your search to retrieve the most relevant results.  In addition to limiting by language and date, you can also limit by domain to narrow your search.

Following are links to the advanced search screens of some popular search engines that are known for their large databases, and for their searching capability.      

 

TIP: If you are looking for background information, or are just beginning your research, consider using more than one search engine.  Since each search engine has a unique database, you can be confident that you have found most of the sites that match your needs.

 

Search Engines: 

• Google - Arguably the world's best known search engine. Try its advanced search for precise searching.
• Yahoo - Originally started out as a subject directory, but now includes a web search box.
• Altavista - Known for its image and video searching capabilities.
• Ask.com - Ranks sites by "authority" rather than "popularity."
• Dogpile - A "meta" search engine that combines results from several different search engines.
• Metacrawler - Another popular meta search engine.
• Exalead - This search engine shows a thumbnail image of each result.