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Refining a Web Search and Source Evaluation. Fort Gibson High School Library Media Center. Use of. Refining a Web Search. and, not, or. “_”, *, +, -. And. Key Words. Make a list of keywords. Be as specific as possible
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Refining a Web SearchandSource Evaluation Fort Gibson High School Library Media Center
Use of Refining a Web Search and, not, or “_”, *, +, - And
Key Words • Make a list of keywords. • Be as specific as possible • but not so specific that your search will produce too few hits or responses.
Search Commands • When performing a web search, most search engines or databases allow for the following commands to help in refining the search.
+ and Search Commands Placing a plus sign in front of a keyword requires that the key word is in all search results. Examples: civil+war, civil and war.
- not Search Commands Placing a minus sign in front of a keyword requires that the keyword does not exist in any of the search results. Example: civil –war or civil not war.
or Search Commands Placing the word or between two words will search for both words independently. This is often the default on a multiple keyword search. Example: civil or war
“___” Search Commands Placing words between quotation marks will search for the keyword in the exact order. Example: “civil war”
* Search Commands • Placing a * after a root word is a truncation which would include alternate word endings such as plurals and tense variations. Example: farm*
Source Evaluation • Who • What • When • Where • Why
Who: • Who wrote the pages and are they an expert? Look for education, offices, jobs, etc. • Is a biography of the author included? • How can you find out more about the author? Find the author of a web site by right clicking on an empty spot on the website, then click on properties.
What: • What does the author say is the purpose of the site? • What else might the author have in mind for the site? • What makes the site easy to use?
When: • When was the site created? • When was the site last updated?
Where: • Where does the information come from? • Where can I look to find out more about the producer/sponsor?
Why: • Why is this information useful for my purpose? • Why should I use this information? • Why is this page/site better than another?