The World Wide Web offers millions of documents on millions of computers for potential research. The problem is how to find what you want amidst all of those sites.

To find sources, utilize a Search Engine, a web page with the ability to conduct searches of other web pages. Examples include Altavista, Hotbot, Google, Directhit, FastSearch, and numerous others.

Each search engine functions differently. To use a given search engine most effectively, click on the HELP button and read hints on how best use that particular search engine.

The World Wide Web searches by keyword. All search engines have a very visible search box where search terms can be entered.

The following standard searching techniques should help you formulate basic searches:

• Put multiword searches, including names, in quotes (some engines use parentheses).
  • For example, "campaign finance reform" or "Bill Clinton"

   

• Use Boolean searching

Use the word NOT or the symbol – (minus) to eliminate terms from search.

• For example, "physician assisted suicide" NOT Kevorkian
• For example, "retirement in Mexico" –new

Use the word AND or the symbol + (plus) to specify that the terms must all appear in the search.

• For example, vouchers AND Florida
• For example, gender +bias

Use the word OR to broaden a search.

• For example, teens OR adolescents and drugs

• Use truncated or wildcard searching
• Wildcard searching allows you to substitute a symbol (often a ?) for a letter.
  • For example, wom?n allows both woman and women to be searched
• Truncated searching allows a search of multiple word endings by using * or another symbol.
• For example, teen* would search teen, teenage, teenager, and teenagers  

 

• Use NEAR.
  • This is a more specific form of AND. It ensures the document contains both terms and that they are near each other. Some sites allow you to specify the number of words between the two terms.
• For example, vouchers near education
• Spell correctly.
  
• Generally, search in singular; search in lower case.

   

   

WEB DIRECTORIES:

If you know your search term, you will usually be better off by using the above directions to search. However, another way to search the web is to utilize the Web Directories of different search engines. If you are searching for ideas, the Web Directories might help.

On search engine home pages, users will see subdivisions. Yahoo has "departments"; Altavista utilizes "Web Directory"; Hotbot offers "Directory". Within these subdivisions, click on whatever appropriate term is offered.

If you are using Yahoo to look for campaign issues, click on Government. Then, click on Politics. When, choices appear, click on Political Issues. A list of different political issues will then appear and you can click on any that interest you.