Search Engines

Here are some tips to make your searches more effective.

• Use Google's advanced search - there's a link right next to the search box on the home page.
• Choose descriptive, specific keywords
• Use quotes for an exact match for a phrase if you aren't using the advanced search box.
• Google and most engines are NOT case sensitive
• the order in which the terms are typed will affect the search results.
• Search engines ignore common words and characters. If a common word is essential to your results, put a "+" sign in front of it.
• If your search term has more than one meaning (bass, for example, could refer to fishing or music) you can focus your search by putting a minus sign ("-") in front of words related to the meaning you want to avoid.
• Search a specific site by putting site: before the domain - for example site:beverlyschools.org.
• Try the similar box at the bottom of the advanced search page to find more sites like one you already found useful.

Try Google Instant

The latest "improvement" is Google Instant.

Tips on using Google Instant.

Sometimes the general search engines like Yahoo! and Google aren't what you need - Noodletools has a page that helps you figure out where to turn, depending on the type of research you are doing or question you want to answer.