Search

SEARCH

Search Standards

Searching as Strategic Exploration

Think...

Begin your search by considering the most credible source for what you're looking for and where you might find it. Consider potential viewpoints and consult a variety of sources. Context matters. For example:

Seeking advice? Choosing someone to ask who has the "authority" and/or the necessary experience, is a smart information seeking strategy. Consider consulting more than one authoritative source in order to reach an even more intelligent decision.
Looking for a tutorial on how to use a newly purchased tech tool? Start with the company's website, blog or FAQ page, because they are most likely experts in using a product which they produced.
Looking for an affordable but respectable hotel? Review a few reputable travel publication and/or consumer opinion driven sites, in addition to the hotel's website for current room rates and photos.
Wanting the latest news about a local or national issue? Because it has become increasingly difficult to find honest and accurate news reporting, intelligent information consumers must consider the possible "bias" of both the news reporter and the news organization as a whole. Consider issue stakeholders and consult a variety of resources covering the same issue in order to get a well rounded perspective.

Search Strategies

Search Cheats Bookmark (BAck)

Use library databases, curation sites, specialized search engines & other information sources via library website.
Use Advanced Search or operators to filter results by: file type, domain, country of origin, publication date etc.
Search using potential title of what you're looking for; questions bring inferior results
Try synonyms, discipline specific, broader and narrower terms.
All words matter: delete common words when not part of exact phrase
Use control/command F to find a term on a page.
Order matters: rearrange terms for different results.
Capitalization doesn't matter
Use quotes around terms only when limiting to exact phrase.
Before you click on a result, evaluate the URL & snippet.
Review results and adjust your search strategy accordingly.
Find original source for claim & triangulate reactions to it.

Advanced Search Strategies

Identifying Keywords

See Keywords & Search

Drafting Keywords

To see how terms have changed over time

Boolean Operators

Boolean Operators/Quotation Marks/Asterisk

Resource Types

Primary vs Secondary Sources

SEE: PRIMARY/SECONDARY/TERTIARY
SOURCES & DISCIPLINARY EXAMPLES

Peer Review Process

SEE: SCHOLARLY VS. POPULAR VS. TRADE PUBLICATIONS

How Search Works

How Search Works via Code.org

The Evolution of Search. Eleven minutes long, but well worth watching.

How google Works

Google's aim is to index the entire free web, and so does not rank its results according to purpose or credibility. In addition, it does not index the hidden web, which includes many of the articles found in pay for databases. Therefore, google is best used for academic purposes when you know exactly what you're looking for, for example a particular organization's website. However, knowing how google works and how to use its advanced search features, will help you become a more effective google user, no matter your information need.

In addition, Google uses your Search History and Location (IP Address) to determine rank order of results. Also, this is information is a general overview; Google consistently updates, and the precise workings of their algorithms.