HTML\search

How to Search the Web

What's a Search Engine?, Hints for Searching the Web, WWW Search Engines

What's a Search Engine? Search Engines are programs that hunt down Web pages that contain key words that are typed in. When the "Search" button on Internet Explorer or Netscape is pressed, a limited number of Search Engines is presented. However, there are many more out there, including some that combine more than one engine to perform the search. From personal experience, there is no one Search Engine that does it all, especially since the mechanics of the actual search process (not to be explored here) can vary greatly from engine to the next. Using the same key words, results from various search engines can be dramatically different. The URL that appears high in the results of one engine may not even appear when a different engine is used.

It is recommended to use more that one search engine to fully explore a given topic.

Hints for Searching the Web. Since Boolean Logic is how most searches are performed, and not everyone remembers what Boolean Logic is let alone how to do it, each Search Engine usually provides hints for narrowing a search. The most common way to search for a phrase is to use quotes. Example: If physics education is entered, then any page containing the words physics OR education will be listed (and that is a HUGE number of pages). However, using quotes indicates that a phrase is to be searched for. If "physics education" is entered, then only the pages containing BOTH words will be reported (still a large number of pages). To further improve the search process, follow the hints provided by the specific Search Engine being used.

One way to use the AND operation is by using the "|" symbol (found above the "\" key). If physics|education is entered, then hits will be indicated that contain BOTH words in the page. I like to use this in combination with phrases in quotes to narrow my searches. Again, when in doubt, read the directions.

After performing a preliminary search, be careful of the phrase "Search these pages" (or facsimile) to narrow a search. Often, a new keyword that hopefully will narrow the search within the pages already targeted serves only to explode the number of pages found.

Take advantage of the Directories (and subdirectories contained within) listed in a Search Engine. It may take a while to get to a particular place, but you can see where you've been and can explore other branches of a subdirectory to get to a particular place.

WWW Search Engines. The Search Engines that I often see when I hit the "Search" button in Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicator are listed below.

AltaVista from Digital Equipment Corporation.
Infoseek allows searching without using Boolean terms. Also provides a rating of the sites that are listed.
Lycos
Excite

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