Beyond Googling : Searching the Web and Databases Effectively N. Mellendorf, Librarian Maine South High School Library Resource Center Park Ridge, Illinois

How Do Search Engines Work? Unlike our subscription databases, many search engines do not organize their results by subject, content or relevance. Keyword Searching Any word on a page Not the subject or content of a page Results: lots of irrelevant stuff Ranking How often a keyword occurs How often someone links to a page Paid placement listings The Invisible Web Google indexes only 20% of the “visible” web Dynamic vs. Static web pages Database pages or Password protected pages N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center

Tip #1: Review Your Keywords Find synonyms Example: handicapped or disabled Try alternate spellings Theater or theatre Use complete labels NRA or National Rifle Association Avoid slang 24/7 rule vs. zero tolerance policy N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center

Tip #2: Find Terms that are Broader, Narrower, or Related Topic Example – Soccer Broader Terms Ball Games Sports Narrower Terms Professional Soccer Women’s Soccer Soccer Offense Related Terms Football Soccer Coaches Soccer Equipment Use sidebar features and other hyperlinked words found in your search results to explore these keywords and improve your results. N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center

Tip #3: Improve Your “Search String” Use “Quotes” for an exact phrase Use AND to require all search terms Television and Violence Use NOT to exclude a search term Mercury NOT planet Combine terms – a Boolean search “Steroids” and “Football” not “Baseball” Natural language Do not use natural or “question” language unless the database or search engine is designed to understand it. Ask.com (formerly Ask Jeeves) is an example of a natural language search engine. Subject Headings vs. Keywords A subject heading is the topic of an entire article A keyword is simply the occurrence of a particular word in an article Be careful to note whether you are searching by Subject Headings or Keywords N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center

Tip #4: Search by Domains and for Specific File Types Domains -- one type of site.edu - a college/university.gov - a government site.org – an organization.com – a business Search example: mythology +site:edu File types – one format PDF -- Adobe PDF document xls - Excel document ppt - PowerPoint document doc - Word document Search example: “evaluating web” +filetype:ppt N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center

Tip #5: Search the Invisible Web: Directories, Visual Search Engines, and Content-Specific Search Engines Narrow your search from a broad category See how topics within a specific area are related May suggest new terms that are useful in conducting a search May be subject or organization specific N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center

Tip #6: Search the Invisible Web: Googling Deep Google Scholar Peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts, and other scholarly literature. Caveat: May lead to sources from password protected sites. Google Books Google Book Search matches your search terms—you see “Book Results.” These links will lead you to a library or online store where you may borrow or purchase the books. You may be able to see a portion of the book online; books in the public domain (no longer under copyright) may be completely available for use. N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center

Tip #7: Search the Invisible Web: ipl2: Internet Public LibraryInternet Public Library Library and Information Science professionals from a consortium of colleges and universities create and maintain the information collections of information. Selection criteria: availability, credibility, authorship, external links, legality Evaluative criteria: authority, scope and audience, content, design, function, shelf life N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center

Tip #8: Search the Invisible Web: INFOMINE “INFOMINE is a virtual library of Internet resources relevant to faculty, students, and research staff at the university level. It contains useful Internet resources such as databases, electronic journals, electronic books, bulletin boards, mailing lists, online library card catalogs, articles, directories of researchers, and many other types of information.” –from About Infomine “INFOMINE is librarian built. Librarians from the University of California, Wake Forest University, California State University, the University of Detroit - Mercy, and other universities and colleges have contributed to building INFOMINE.” –from About Infomine N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center

Tip #9: Try Alternative Resources Books (Online Catalog)Online Catalog  WebPath Express WebPath Express (through Online Catalog) Other: Audio, Video, Personal Interview, Podcasts, Blogs, Wikis, etc. Check with your teacher first about using and citing these formats! N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center

When to skip the Web altogether… Though Infomine and other deep Web search engines can improve retrieval of full-text articles, subscription databases and books still provide the best coverage of proprietary information—information that someone owns and expects compensation for use. You need full-text articles from magazines and newspapers: use a subscription library database. You need scholarly articles from peer-reviewed and academic journals: use a subscription library database or book. You need an in-depth, original, narrative treatment of a topic: use a book. N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Maine South High School Library Resource Center