Regardless of which search engine you use, it really pays to find out the particulars of how it works. Take the time to read the search tips on the respective sites.
For instance, how does the search engine handle searches that include more than one word? Most, but not all, engines return results that include any of the words. Because there is so much information online, you will usually want to limit the scope of your searches.
How do you limit the scope of your searches?The English mathematician, George Boole, developed algebra of logic, which has become the basis for computer database searches. Boolean logic uses words called Operators to determine whether a statement is true or false.
The most common operators are AND, OR and NOT. These three little words can be enormously helpful when doing online searches. A few examples will show you why.
Searching Strategy
Let’s try a search strategy using Beaucoup
and see what results we get when looking for resources for women.
Try the following boolean operators in the search box:
women AND resources
Retrieves documents with both words.
women OR resources
Retrieves the greatest amount of matches; documents with either word.
women NOT resources
Retrieves documents about women, but not about resources; it is a good
way to limit the search. But, beware when using this approach, you might
eliminate important articles.
Another example would be a search strategy looking for information about incest. You could exclude a site about incest that specifies it is NOT about pornography.
Truncations and wildcards
It is also useful to use truncations and wildcards, which can affect your
search results. For example:
* is used to represent a letter or a number of letters
ie. program* = programs, programme, programmable, etc.
It is important to note that the exact syntax each engine uses varies, so familiarise you with its unique properties. A good site for this information is the http://www.notess.com/search/features.