Google and More Search Engines and Web Based Directories, how to target a search and evaluate the results

Most users want a single search engine that delivers 3 key features: Relevant results Uncluttered easy to read interface Helpful options to broaden or tighten the search

Google is king of the search engines. It is fast, relevant, and the largest single index of web pages available today. Google offers good extras with maps, images, news etc. all in one place. There are ways to refine a search to avoid an overwhelming number of results

Field Searching Title Field Title field searching allows the user to: Focus on the main topic Find more relevant web pages It’s good to use when searching for places, people, events and popular topics

Intitle: will search the first word in the title and the following words anywhere. Example intitle:hurricane katrina intitle:recycling students teachers Allintitle: will search all words in the title field. Example allintitle:recycling students teachers

Domain (site) Field This allows the user to: Search within a full domain name, i.e. within a specific site such as gc.ca Or to restrict the results to a specific top-level domain,.edu,.org Examples site:gc.ca copyright site:gc.ca h1n1 spelling exercises site:edu site:edu nutrition

Domain Field – Benefits Very good way to narrow searches, especially if you want to explore a particular website The user can restrict results to a type of website such as academic sites or government sites

File Type Field Allows the user to restrict their search by specific file types such as ppt, xls, pdf. Examples filetype:xls organic crops filetype:ppt organic crops

Definition Field A very quick way to access definitions Allows user to listen to the correct pronunciation. Examples define:elegy define:ebitda

Tips for Google Be as specific as you can with your search statement eg. war of 1812 causes, not just history of wars Use ~ to include synonyms for some words eg. rockies ~guide will include synonyms for guide such as map, tips, help, pathfinder etc Use phrase searching to avoid stop words eg. “how to knit” or “one small step for a man”

Alternatives to Google Why bother? Search a different index of webpages View search results that are compiled by different rankings Use additional features not available with Google

- no clutter, no spam, very clean spartan look - “zero-click” information, all your answers are found on the first results page - offers prompts to help clarify what question you are really asking - additional goodies

- a Deep Web search engine that searches other search engines for you - reaches pages that are harder to locate by a conventional search - it clusters the results

- intelligent search, matches by concept or idea rather than word - sites are selected and evaluated, so fewer results but more reliable

-Very visual with bookmarks for each site -Suggests related terms -Can limit search by file type and site type

- more like a web portal than just a search engine - has tabs for images, video, news, etc. - has “also try” tips and related searches - results can be filtered by time

Subject Directories Websites are organized by subject or category Allows users to find information when the precise need is unknown Provides reliable websites selected by experts

Subject Directories – Examples by Coverage Selective Internet Public Library Awesome Library

Canadian Emphasis Library and Archives Canada ninfo.htm Virtual Reference Library

Academic Orientation Infomine Academic Info

Comprehensive Yahoo! Directory Open Directory

How to Evaluate a Website The user must consider the following: Accuracy Authority, the person/organization behind the site Purpose, to inform or to persuade Objectivity Currency Coverage, does it go into enough detail for the user’s needs Popularity, have many people linked to the site

Checklist for evaluating websites Dalhousie University Libraries. Checklist for Evaluating Websites hecklist