CSC 110: Introduction to Computers
Learning Unit 2: Mini-Lecture
Using Search Engines Effectively
In the past few years Google has become the search engine of choice for most Internet users.
The website is so popular, that its name has become a verb, with many people saying they will “Google
it,” when they want to find information on the World Wide Web.
Why do more people choose Google over other available search engines? Is there any particular feature
making it the best source for them to use? A number of factors come into play when selecting a search
engine for research, including how its results are organized, its ease of use, and the type of information
retrieved. The following questions can help you determine if a particular search engine will work for you.
What type of tool is it? Is it a subject directory, a web search engine, or a metasearch engine?
Remember, subject directories are lists of websites organized by topic. Web search engines
search the Internet to find the most up-to-date information, which may or may not be accurate.
A metasearch engine actually submits your search information to multiple web search engines
at once and combines the results into a single list.
Does the tool allow you to use Boolean operators (such as AND, OR, or NOT) to better refine and
limit your search results? If so, what terms and symbols does it recognize? For example, does it
recognize the “+” and “–” symbols or do you need to type the words “AND,” “OR,” and “NOT?”
Does the search engine allow you to use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard to expand a search? (For
example, could you use “educat*” to find information about educate, education, educational
and educators?) Can the search engine perform a proximity search, which looks for words within
a specific distance of one another? (For example, you might want to search for two words that
are right next to each other or that have no more than three words between them.)
Does the tool allow you to search for an exact phrase? This is helpful when you want to find a
phrase that contains more than one word, with the words in the exact order that you type them.
Usually the phrase is enclosed in quotation marks.
Is there an advanced search function? If so, what kinds of advanced searches can it do?
What are the special features of the search engine? Does it do something interesting or unusual
that other search engines do not? These special features could be related to how the search
results are presented, the search speed, the search quality, and so forth.
Once you’ve determined which search engine you would like to use, you can conduct a search and
locate websites that meet your search criteria. With so many web pages on the World Wide Web, you
will often find your search yielding an overabundance of web page results or “hits.” This can make it
difficult to determine which of these web pages will actually have reliable information on the topic
about which you’re interested.
Page 1 of 2
CSC 110: Introduction to Computers
Learning Unit 2: Mini-Lecture
Finding information isn’t usually the problem. The challenge is determining which websites will give you
the most accurate, reliable information. A number of factors should be considered when evaluating the
quality of information provided on a website, including the purpose of the site, its intended audience,
the authority and credibility of the author, how current the information is, and whether the site appears
to be objective or biased. The following list of questions can help you evaluate websites to determine if
the information they provide will meet your needs.
Are the goals of the author stated? Is there a statement of purpose?
For whom is the site designed? What audience is the site’s author trying to reach?
Is the site scholarly or popular in nature?
Does the site contain advertising?
Is the purpose of the site to inform, entertain, persuade, advocate, or sell a product?
Can the author of the site be identified? Is it clear who is responsible for the content?
Is contact information available, allowing you to receive clarification or more information?
What are the author’s qualifications? Does the author list his or her occupation, years of experience,
position, or education?
Does the author appear to have expertise in the subject area?
Is the author affiliated with an educational institution, non-profit organization, or company?
Is the site sponsored by a company or organization, or is it a personal site?
What is the domain of the site? Is it a “.com” (commercial), “.org” (non-profit organization), “.mil”
(military), “.net” (often an Internet provider), “.gov” (government), or “.edu” (educational
institution) website? What is the country of origin?
Does the site appear to be well-researched? Are there references or supporting data?
Can you find other respected sources that back up the information on this site?
How does the site’s information compare to respected print resources available on this topic?
Is statistical information clearly labeled and easy to read?
Does the site include grammatical or spelling errors?
If links to other sites are provided, are they quality sites? Are there any dead links?
When was the information on the site published? When was it last updated?
Does the site present many opinions on the topic or only one?
Can you tell if the site contains mostly opinions or facts?
Can you identify any bias in the information and opinions provided?
Does the site reflect the agenda of a particular group (political, etc.)?
The next time you’re surfing the Web, remember that anyone with Internet access can put together a
web page. Just because you find something on the Internet doesn’t mean it is true. So it’s important to
critically evaluate Internet sources to make sure you get the most relevant and reliable information
possible.
© Indian Hills Community College
Page 2 of 2