Tips for Searching the Internet

Determine whether you should use a subject directory or a search engine
Pick good search terms
Use online Help
Use more than one search engine or subject directory
Evaluate what you find
Use NOVA Library's Best of the Web

Search engine disclaimers:

Use a subject directory:

· When you have a broad topic.
· When you want to see a list of sites recommended and reviewed by experts.
· When you want a list of sites, not pages within a site, on your topic.
·When you want to avoid getting pages that only mention your term once or twice.

Use a search engine:

· When you have a narrow topic, or a topic with obscure terms.
· When you need to be comprehensive and want to search the entire text of all pages accessible through the search engine.
· When you want as many results as possible on your topic.
· When you are searching for a specific site.
· When you want to search for images, sounds, or file extensions.

 

• Pick good search terms.You can enhance your chances of finding relevant sites if you:
• Know what you're looking for - for example, instead of something on gun control, try "gun control" teenagers schools.
• Avoid being too general (e.g., instead of cats, try Norwegian forest cat).
• .Or too specific (e.g., instead of red flashing erupting volcanoes as clip art, try volcanoes and gif).
• Increase precision by using AND (or the + sign, depending upon the search engine) and quotation marks in appropriate situations:"star wars" and film

• Use online Help to determine search protocols and to get more search advice specific to each engine and directory. 

• Use more than one search engine or subject directory. Engines and Directories vary in coverage.  Yahoo!, for example, tends to be a more "commercial" subject directory, while Librarian's Index to the Internet tends to be more academic in nature. Google is a very large search engine and quite accurate, but AltaVista can be very good for general use.  AskJeeves frequently provides good, interesting results.  These search engines do not cover all parts of the Web, so if the first search engine you try doesn't get you what you need, try another.

• Evaluate what you find.  Anyone with a computer, modem, and Internet connection can put anything on the Web. There are no "Internet Police." Look for bias, credibility, accuracy, and date of last update.  See the Library's "How to Evaluate Web Information" link for more details.

• Use NOVA Library's Best of the Web (available off of the Internet page) for good, interesting, and useful Web sites, both practical and academic in nature.

 

For more information on search engines and subject directories try these sites:

Search Engine Showdown:  www.searchengineshowdown.com

Search Engine Watch:  searchenginewatch.com