4.7 Web Search and Research

Searching for information cannot be any easier. We can search millions of resources on a topic with just a click of a button. Some of the information returned is good and some is not. So it is important to weed out any unrelated information and to verify the left with other resources before using it.
There are mainly three ways of searching online:

1. Using a search engine: Search engines are programs that “crawl” the web, collecting information and creating listings based on that information. Some of the most popular search engines are: google, bing, lycos, webcrawler etc. Although this is the fastest way to search online it does have limitations. Some of these engines rely on paid submissions which can compromise the quality of results.
2. Using a directory: Unlike search engines, directories are human driven database in which the infomation is organized using a particular criteria. These databases are usually smaller than the database of a search engine. The results though are more relevant to the keyword used while searching.One of the most popular directories is Yahoo’s.
3. Using a meta-search engine: Meta-search engines do not create or manage their own databases. They search the databases of other search engines allowing you to see results from different search engines simultaneously. The examples include dogpile, search, metasearch, monstercrawler etc.

For the purpose of this course we will concentrate on google search engine but you can choose to use any method that you prefer.
The following links provide you an excellent overview on how to search online:

• Search Better – This link will take you to GCFLearnfree.org. Make sure to click through all the lessons under this topic. (Be patient as the content might take a while to load)
• BBC_First_Click_Beginners_Guide.pdf – Remember the booklet from first module. Unit 2, lesson 2.2 is also a good source of information.

Practice searching various topics of your interest and then proceed to complete your course assignment on this topic.
Make sure to ask your instructor for help if you have any questions.