KYVL: Information Skills Tutorial, Unit 1: Tips for Using Search Engines
Using Search Engines
Information Skills Tutorial
Unit 1: Web Basics
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 Unit 1 Contents 
Topic: Tips for Using Search Engines

Overview
Lesson
Example
Practice



Overview

Generally you have much more freedom in asking a web search engine to find something for you than you would in, say, a library catalog, where certain protocols have to be observed.
Lesson

There are some ways to enter your search that will help you get the best results when you start using the Web. The 2 major techniques are:
  • the use of the plus sign (+)
  • enclosing phrases within quotation marks


Example

Most Search Engines make use of the following:

  • Quotation Marks to search for phrases:

    Enter the search statement "gun control" crime in the search box, then click find or go beside the box. Enclose any words that must be adjacent to each other in quotation marks.

      The search engine will show you those pages with gun control as a phrase and the word crime in the same website.


  • Plus (+) sign to require a word or phrase be in the website:

    Try firearms +statistics. Using the + sign ensures that the word following the sign must be included. There must be no space between the + sign and the word.

Practice

Which is the most effective way to enter a search for reviews of the movie A Star is Born ? Click on the blue letter to see if you are correct.

    a. "A Star is Born"
    b. a star is born and review
    c. "A Star is Born" +review
    d. +Star +is +Born




Unit 1: 7 of 15



Last Updated: 04/18/2000
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