Effective search techniques

Powerpoints can be found at:

arts.kmutt.ac.th/call/Workshop_Doc.htm

Richard Watson Todd

General Internet searches

Search engines Using Google (www.google.com)

Directories for general information Using Wikipedia

Click here if you wanteverything inEnglish

Choosing keywords for searches

Situation: You are writing an article about teaching,

where you want to find information about what sorts of principles should govern how teachers give feedback in the classroom.

What keywords will you use?

Keywords or key phrases?

What’s the difference between typing:– giving feedback

AND– “giving feedback” ?

23,900,000 hits

Giving feedback

183,000 hits

“giving feedback”

Adding more keywords giving feedback

“giving feedback” “giving feedback” classroom “giving feedback” classroom “English

language teaching” “giving feedback” classroom guidelines

English “giving feedback” teacher guidelines

English “how to give feedback” teacher

guidelines English “how to give feedback” teacher English

24 million hits: only first relevant

183,000 hits: same 33,100 hits: few relevant 250 hits: most about

teacher training courses 7,720 hits: few relevant

pages 9,950 hits: some

relevant pages 145 hits: 2 relevant

pages 393 hits: several relevant

Principles for choosing keywords

Where set phrases are generally accepted, use them

If you get too many returns, add more keywords

Play with different ways of expressing the same concept

Advanced searching

If you get too many hits, restrict your search using Advanced Search

If you get too many hits focusing on one irrelevant topic, restrict your search by deleting that irrelevant topic

Advanced search situation 1

You want to know what the biggest dog in the world is.

You enter the key phrase: “biggest dog in the world”

Without Digby

Advanced search situation 2

You want to go to England to study a course at a university in digital marketing

You enter the keywords “digital marketing” university England

Domain = ac.uk

Alternative to Google

If you can’t find the information you want from Google (even using different keywords), try another search engine

Use www.alltheweb.com Use the Advanced search

Dealing with results 1

Don’t automatically click on the first result Read through the summaries Look at the URLs (especially domains) You may need to look through the first 3 or

4 pages of results

Dealing with results 2

When you have lots of possible relevant websites, use the right mouse button to “Open in new window”

Keep an eye on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen (or the tabs at the top of the screen)

Work through the pages you have selected after finishing with Google

An example of dealing with results

You want to find 10 examples of funny headlines to put in the lifts (or to give to Ajarn Harvey to put in the lifts)

You search for: “amusing headlines”

Searching for pictures

Using Google, choose ‘Images’ Use the same searching strategies as when sea

rching for information With results, left-clicking allows you to see th

e picture more clearly (you can then right-click to save)

Right-clicking allows you to save a thumbnail

Click here to search for pictures

Notice that ‘Images’ is now in bold

Some differences here

Searching for “King Mongkut”

Right-click and look for “Save Picture as”Note: this saves a thumbnail only

What you see if youleft-click on a picture

Right-click on thepicture to save the fullpicture

Click here to see the original page

Finding background information

For a topic where you would like to gain a general overview, searching can produce results that are too specific

Use an alternative, such as Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Enter your search term here

Task

Think of some piece of information you would like to know (don’t make it too straightforward)

Will you use a search engine or a directory? What keywords/phrases will you use? Will you use advanced searching? How will you deal with the results? TRY IT!