Think+Like+A+Webpage

=Organize an Information Search Party= (adapted from Daniel M. Russell's Google Teacher Academy Presentations on Search)

<< Back to Information Literacy

Simple Search Strategy - "Think Like a Web Page"
> (Think about common keywords. Think about synonyms, or "other ways to say" things. Not sure? Use a gateway tool such as Wikipedia to gain background knowledge.) > (What words would they use? How would "someone who knows" describe it? Try using Wonderwheel or Related Search suggestions to help you devise search terms or improve focus) > (What would be most likely to appear on a page or site about this topic?) > (What specifics differentiate this topic from similar or related items?) > (Add a **context** to your keywords: Do I want a single web page, a definition, a collection, an image, a tutorial, a video.... or … ?)
 * 1) **What is it I’m looking for?**
 * 1) **How would someone else talk or write about it?**
 * 1) **Which of those terms would be most common?**
 * 1) **Which of those terms would be very specialized to this topic?**
 * 1) **What kind of resource am I looking for?**

Additional Search Strategies

 * Use Advanced Search Operators to narrow and refine your search. Combine operators and keep refining to improve your results.
 * Try an image search when normal means fail, you might find something that will be useful or spark your interest in a different way. (Great way to find out the meaning of foreign words).
 * Word order matters—when it’s not working one way, try another. Use terms and phrases from the resources you do find in your initial searches (or begin with a gateway site such as Wikipedia).
 * When searching for common phrases, don't leave out the "stop" words (the most extreme example being [to be or not to be, that is the question] where question is the only "substance" word.
 * Only use quotations when you need them (e.g. to find a specific sequence of words, such as a name, quote, location or text snippet).
 * Sometimes you need to Go Beyond Google.