Overview Getting Started
Search engines search electronically whereas most search directories use human editors to exclude irrelevant sites and include beneficial ones. Wikis invite contributers to write and edit articles mostly without authoriship. Understanding the pluses and minuses of each of these search tools will help you to determine when they are appropriate to use for particular high school research assignments. Explore information in the Search Engines, Search Directories, and Wiki boxes and read the following tips. Tips For Using Search Engines:
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Search Enginges Search engines use complex computer programs to index websites, and these enormous indexes can then be searched using keywords. Search engines rank pages depending on relevancy (how many times a keyword appears on a webpage), proximity (where a keyword appears on the page) and popularity ranking (how often other sites link to the page).
It’s important to remember that search engines search electronically whereas most search directories use human editors to exclude irrelevant sites and include beneficial ones. Search engines are businesses that rely on ad revenue. Search engines in order of popularity are Google, Yahoo, Ask.com and Bing. How to use Wikipedia for Academic Research |
Search Directories Search directories use expert editors to select and organize websites. Some directories are more tightly organized than others so it’s a good idea to read about how a particular directory is organized before you use it. Here is an example : Internet Public Library/Librarians’ Index (ipl2) Good spot to research any discipline. Search this directory of thousands of handpicked, screened and annotated web sites. SweetSearch |
Google Tips and Tricks Every Student Should Know |
One More Tip : When searching type
- your term and (: gov} for government sites
- your term and (: edu) for education sites
- your term and (: org) for organizational sites