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Research How-To: Searching the Internet

Provides tips and instruction for research for grades 5 through 8. Some pages based on the Copley Library Guide: http://cbury.libguides.com/research and

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:

  • Search engines are best when searching for specific things such as “revolutionary war diaries” as opposed to the more general “war”
  • Use specific academic terms such as “climate change”
  • Use exact phrases such as “research on medical marijuana”
  • Go to Advanced Search tools to refine searches

Tips For Using Search Directories:

  • Read the annotations (summaries of sites written by directory editors) for your top results to see if you are on the right track
  • Browse subject categories
  • Keep search terms broad
  • Check sites for searching tips as all directories are organized differently

      Search Engines

      Popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo use complex computer programs to index websites, and these enormous indexes can then be searched using keywords. Search engines rank pages depending on how many times a keyword appears on a webpage (relevancy) and where a keyword appears on the page (proximity).  Google also uses popularity ranking, taking into account how many times searchers link to a page when using a certain keyword.   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, so be aware that some sites show up because they have paid for a high ranking not because they have the information you need.  

      Smart Searching

      Google is not always magic.

      Search Directories

      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.  Three directories that are especially good for academic research are: Internet Public Library/Librarians’ Index , Intute, Infomine,

      View the video IPL Information You Can Trust to learn about this search directory.