The following is a basic guide to Internet searching. Use this guide to find sources for Assignment 4 for this class.

You can search for interesting sites on WWW by using "search engines" (programs that search the Internet). There are a variety of search engines, each of which will allow you to search the Web (and perhaps other services on the Internet) using keywords. For the purposes of this class, we'll focus on searching the Web.

Each search engine covers a differing portion of the information available on the Internet. Also, each operates in a unique way, so it's a good idea to learn a little about how to use one or more of the engines before beginning a search. That way, you won't end up with as many surprising or confusing results.

The number of matches or "hits" returned from an Internet search can be truly overwhelming! So, you'll need to learn techniques to narrow down the results you retrieve and make them more relevant.

Before we discuss specifics you need to know a few basic concepts. Although search engines purport to "search the Internet," they do not do so "live." Each engine consists of several programs that work together, and these programs are written by individuals or groups. One part of the search engine is a "robot," an automatic program, that goes out on the Internet by itself looking for new sites and sending back information for the search engine. This information is compiled into a database that's updated every so often. The results you're retrieving when you use a search engine are actually drawn from the database compiled by the engine's robot; they are not pulled directly from the "real" Internet.

Your results from such a search, though, contain links set to take you to the real sources. Once in awhile, you'll get an error message when you try to follow one of these links. This error usually means the site you tried to go to is no longer where it used to be or perhaps isn't even on the Internet anymore. The database was out-of-date with regard to this source. Now that you know about the search engine databases, you won't be surprised by such errors.

Another thing to keep in mind when using Internet search engines is that what works in one engine does not necessarily work in another! Just as no two people would answer the same question on an essay exam in the same way, search engine creators solve problems in differing ways. They seek to make engines that are their own version of "the best." Each of these programs was designed by a different person or group, and each has its own unique searching capabilities. Specific search techniques don't necessarily transfer from engine to engine.

Something else to keep in mind when you're searching the Internet and you're not getting what you want: you should try switching to another engine. Each one has its own database, and you may find information in one that's not available in another. For this class, we'll focus on using the Google advanced search. You'll get to practice with a set of techniques for this engine. However, it's strongly recommended you use what you learn about Google to learn to use additional search engines so you can explore many options in finding Internet based information.

Read the University of California, Berkeley guide to the Google engine (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Google.html). You can apply what you learn to finding some sources for Assignment 4 for this class.

The document "Recommended Search Strategy" (UC Berkeley Library) offers a great instructional page teaching the user how to analyze a chosen topic and how to use specific search strategies to get more results that fit the topic and less extraneous information. This site also provides links to recommended search engine pages.