Tricks
of the Trade- use subject directories and ranking sources first, metasearch engines last
- use sites that target your specific subject (ie. Internet Movie
Database)
sites that index specialty search engines and databases: Search.Com (search.com) All-In-One (www.allonesearch.com) - follow links provided by a trusted source (ie. departmental web page or library
subject guides)
- bigger is not better - try out several search engines, then pick one
or two for ease of use and results, not size of index
- think of organizations, groups, schools that would be interested in or
have special knowledge of your subject
- stay away from common words (cooking, copyright)
- use boolean operators when possible (and, or) you may need to capitalize them
- use " " around phrases or proper names
- use + before words that must be present in results
- use - before words that must not be present in results
- most search engines allow you to limit your results by domain (ie "frogs.COM" vs. "frogs.EDU")
, words in page title, date of creation or update, etc.
- become familiar with the advanced search features of one or two search engines by reading the "help" or "search tips" pages
Outline Tools of the Trade Evaluating What You Find
