Tutorial 3: Searching The Web

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Tutorial 3: Searching the Web

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Objectives


Session 3.1


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Determine whether a research question is specific or exploratory Formulate an effective Web search strategy to answer research questions Use Web search tools including search engines, Web directories, metasearch engines, and Web bibliographies effectively

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Objectives


Session 3.2
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Apply Boolean logic and filtering techniques to improve your Web searches Perform complex searches in search engines Use advanced search options in Web search engines Assess the validity and quality of Web research resources

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Session 3.1 Overview How a Search Engine Works

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Types of Search Questions


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A specific question is a question that you can phrase easily and one for which you will recognize the answer when you find it An exploratory question is an open-ended question that can be harder to phrase; it also is difficult to determine when you find a good answer

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Types of Search Questions


Finding Answers to Specific Questions
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Can be answered with a single fact or set of information The search for the answer involves a process of narrowing down the range of potential answers you examine in each step

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Types of Search Questions


Finding Answers to Specific Questions (continued)

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Types of Search Questions


Finding Answers to Exploratory Questions


Cannot be answered with a single fact or set of information Search starts with general questions that lead to other, less general questions Scope broadens as you gather information pertinent to the exploratory question

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Types of Search Questions


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Finding Answers to Exploratory Questions (continued)

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For specific questions:
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Formulating Effective Web Search Strategies

Formulate and state your question Select the appropriate tool(s) to use in your search Translate your question into a search query Run the query and evaluate your results If results do not answer the question:
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Continue the search with a different search tool Revise and narrow the question and repeat the process

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For exploratory questions:
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Formulating Effective Web Search Strategies

Formulate and state your question Select the appropriate tool(s) to use in your search Translate your question into a search query Run the query and evaluate your results If results do not answer the question, formulate and state additional questions and repeat the process until there is sufficient information to answer the question

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An important part of searching is evaluating the quality of the search results

Formulating Effective Web Search Strategies

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Web Search Tools


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Web search tools include four broad categories of sites:
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Search engines Directories Metasearch engines Other Web resources such as Web bibliographies

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Web Search Tools


Understanding Search Engines
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A Web search engine is a Web site that finds other Web pages that match a word or phrase you enter The word or phrase you enter in a search engine is called a search expression or a query A search expression might also include instructions that tell the search engine how to