Making the Most of a Google Search

Searching the internet can be a long and frustrating process.  Understanding how a particular search engine works can change a blind search into an intelligent search.  A popular search engine is Google which can be found at www.Google.com .

The Basics of Googling http://www.google.com/help/basics.html

·        try obvious keywords first
·        make keywords specific, only use a few keywords
·        use quotation marks to identify several keywords as one phrase
·        use + to require that a keyword is included and – to exclude results containing a keyword
·        capitalization is not required
·        searching within categories is available at http://directory.google.com/

Advanced Googling http://www.google.com/advanced_search

·        require or exclude words, search for an exact phrase
·        specify number of results, file format, date, domain
·        conduct a filtered SafeSearch

Tips

·        read the title and description of each result, view pages that best match your question first
·        right click hyperlinks on the search result page and select “Open in New Window” so that the search results page can be displayed along with several other web pages
·        preview several web pages before spending much time on any one web page
·        search within a category to find more specific results
·        avoid ads and  links to web sites that are not useful to your search
·        don’t waste time on a futile search, ask for help if needed

Evaluating Content Usefulness

·        Was enough information found to answer all questions?
·        Is the reading level appropriate?
·        Can you re-phrase the information in your own words?

Evaluating Content Validity
   Identify and consider:

• reliability/reputation of the author
• Was the author paid to represent a certain viewpoint?
• social or political bias 
• information confirmed by other sources

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