Searching

Searching Online

Tips for Searching from Kathleen Morris using Google Search Engine:

Type in some simple search terms using only the important keywords
If the initial results aren’t what you want, alter the search terms and get more specific (get clues from the initial search results e.g. you might see synonyms that would work or get ideas from the “People Also Ask” section)
Use quotation marks if you want your keywords in an exact order, e.g. “raining cats and dogs”
Remember:
- use your best guess with spelling (Google will often understand)
- don’t worry about punctuation
- understand that everyone’s results will be different, even if they use the same search terms (depending on browser history, location etc.)

What are databases? Databases are special search engines that contain articles and other media that have been carefully evaluated by experts.

Do not ask a database a question like Google - use specific keywords.
Use boolean search terms AND, OR, NOT to string together keywords and synonyms. (Note that most databases and search engines automatically combine terms with AND.)
The more words you use, the FEWER results you will get - take out some keywords to get to the bigger idea.
Use PHRASE SEARCHING - use quotation marks (i.e. "public assistance") to keep the words together in the search, otherwise the database will search for EACH word separately.
You can filter your results (i.e. encyclopedia or reference article, image/video, essay or journal/magazine article etc.).

adapted from Bethel College Library URL: https://bethelks.libguides.com/evalwebsites

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