Search advice

• Begin with understanding the Google system's search paramenters here.

  • Don't be fooled if you don't see your search words reflected in the initial return of results (even if you search specifically for something between quotes and don't see the very same in your initial search results). The specific result really is there in the documents of the results list. You just have to take the additional steps to open a result page and search it as well.

• If you're like me, it's pretty difficult to keep up with all potentially affiliated terms. See the AR-topics page to explore the spectrum of relationships between the terms you should consider for use in your search construction.

• Hyphens - if you use one in a search, try searching without as well (e.g., best selling, bestselling, best-selling)

• Spelling - transliterations, words of non-English origin, often have variant spellings (especially when coming from Middle Eastern language groups); assume multiple spelling forms. (To be a really great search engine, Google needs to show its "Site" users the index words nearest those in a given search [a 'la, "Did you mean ... ?"]. This reveals alternate spellings very nicely. The Oxford English Dictionary site is a good example.)

• Use the plain text version of any file in search results instead of the pdf version. The text is more up to date. Why?

  • If you find something useful about a controversial topic in a periodical, consider looking forward in the publication for "letter-to-the-editor" responses in subsequent editions for more info. A similar possible option, growing more common all the time, is found in the comment areas provided by news media sites that are tied to individual articles. Much can be learned from the reflections of others this way. (Typically, you won't find this content in the AR-chive. You'll have to do some more serious digging on your own for it.)

From the FAQ page:

• Searching, General #1: "The 'Site Search' only gives me a long page full of text. Do I have to read it all to find what I want?"

• Searching, General #2: "What's with all the odd page names (09AR14-04, 88F04-10, V990216, 990830) in my results listing?"

• Searching, General #3: "How can I view search results chronologically?"

• Searching, General #4: "How can I focus search results on a specific type of content (e.g., only from Apologia Report, or AR-talk)?"

Still can't find what you're looking for? Here is a portal that we recommend you keep in mind:

• www.thecenters.org/links.aspx

In general, evangelical apologetics sites have a high degree of content overlap. Others who are more familiar with such sites can help save you some valuable time. Consequently, the care that has gone into link selection by the owners of the above two link directories should result in reduced content overlap for you and thus, less time loss on your part in the long run.

July 7, 2014: It has been a long time since I wrote the above regarding my concern about content overlap. A recent opinion voiced by our Contributing Editor, Paul Carden, has led me to reconsider my hesitation. There is another Christian apologetics site which is doing such a great job that we want to recommend it here:

• www.carm.org

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* -- Ahh. The asterisk. Perhaps the most important distinction between a scholar and a student isn't a doctorate degree. The greatest difference might simply be patience and tenacity. More than one person with the reputation of "genius" has given credit for their reputation to mostly being the result of "sweat" and not "smarts."

Consider the implications that these words have in relation to 2 Tim 2:15 -- "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (Even the simple event of you noticing the "*" that brought your eyes to these words this moment may be an indication of all this in relation to your future.)

A tragedy of the information age (one oddly similar to the current force driving physicians to specialize in increasingly narrow areas) is that people tend not to look very deep into any any aspect of their data searching. In fact, their inclination toward impatience for a conclusion appears to be growing at a rate directly related to the magnitude of search result numbers as they pile up for the same search query year after year.

Note: I am not happy with the Google Sites' search results presently. It is May 22 '21 and I just finished the migration of the ARchive from the old version of Sites to this "update." I've not given this a lot of attention so far, but I hope to soon.