How to Search the World Wide Web:
A Tutorial for Beginners and Non-Experts

This revision of our July 24,1998 edition updates the tutorial to keep it current and make it more informative. Also, it adds a new section on conducting searches that explains how to use operators to focus your search and how to compose a search question or query.

Conducting a search can be time consuming and frustrating for the non-expert. This is not surprising given the enormous amount of information available on the World Wide Web and the different ways it is stored and retrieved. The search process is made all the more difficult because of the large number of search tools, their differing information content and the lack of industry standards.

A search tool is a computer program that performs searches. A search method is the way a search tool requests and retrieves information from its Web site.

A search begins at a selected search tool’s Web site, reached by means of its address or URL. Each tool’s Web site comprises a store of information called a database. This database has links to other databases at other Web sites, and the other Web sites have links to still other Web sites, and so on and so on. Thus, each search tool has extended search capabilities by means of a worldwide system of links.

There are essentially four types of search tools, each of which has its own search method. The following describe these search tools and then suggests exercises for achieving a familiarity with their use.

1. A directory search tool searches for information by subject matter. It is a hierarchical search that starts with a general subject heading and follows with a succession of increasingly more specific sub-headings. The search method it employs is known as a subject search.

• Tips: Choose a subject search when you want general information on a subject or topic. Often, you can find links in the references provided that will lead to specific information you want.
• Advantage: It is easy to use. Also, information placed in its database is reviewed and indexed first by skilled persons to ensure its value.
• Disadvantage: Because directory reviews and indexing is so time consuming, the number of reviews are limited. Thus, directory databases are comparatively small and their updating frequency is relatively low. Also, descriptive information about each site is limited and general.

2. A search engine tool searches for information through use of keywords and responds with a list of references or hits. The search method it employs is known as a keyword search.

• Tip: Choose a keyword search to obtain specific information, since its extensive database is likely to contain the information sought.
• Advantage: Its information content or database is substantially larger and more current than that of a directory search tool.
• Disadvantage: Not very exacting in the way it indexes and retrieves information in its database, which makes finding relevant documents more difficult.

Keyword searches require far more explanation than subject searches, because of their broader scope and greater complexity.

3. A directory with search engine uses both the subject and keyword search methods interactively as described above. In the directory search part, the search follows the directory path through increasingly more specific subject matter. At each stop along the path, a search engine option is provided to enable the searcher to convert to a keyword search. The subject and keyword search is thus said to be coordinated. The further down the path the keyword search is made, the narrower is the search field and the fewer and more relevant the hits.

• Tip: Use when you are uncertain whether a subject or keyword search will provide the best results.
• Advantages: Ability to narrow the search field to obtain better results.
• Disadvantages: This search method may not succeed for difficult searches.

Some search tools use search engine and directory searches independently. They are said to be non-coordinated.

4. A multi-engine search tool (sometimes called a meta-search)utilizes a number of search engines in parallel. The search is conducted via keywords employing commonly used operators or plain language. It then lists the hits either by search engine employed or by integrating the results into a single listing. The search method it employs is known as a meta search.

• Tip: Use to speed up the search process and to avoid redundant hits.
• Advantage: Tolerant of imprecise search questions and provides fewer hits of likely greater relevance.
• Disadvantage: Not as effective as a search engine for difficult searches.

A search tool employs a computer program to access Web sites and retrieve information. Each search tool is owned by a single entity, such as person, company or organization, which operates it from a master computer. When you use a search tool, your request travels to the tool’s Web site. There, it conducts a search of its database and directs the response back to your computer.

Of the hundred’s of search tools available, we have selected 15 that we believe are best, both singly for their performance and as a group for the diversity they provide. Table 1 lists these as Preferred Search Tools by the primary search method each use. In practice, most subject search tools provide an auxiliary keyword search, and correspondingly, keyword search tools usually provide subject searches.

For those just starting to learn the search process, this segment is recommended to help you understand how the process works. The following is the general procedure:

• Connect to the Internet via your browser [e.g. Netscape or MS Explorer]
• In the browser’s location box, type the address [i.e. URL] of your search tool choice. Press Enter. The Home Page of the search tool appears on your screen.
• Type your query in the address box at the top of the screen. Press Enter.
• Your search request travels via phone lines and the electronic backbone of the Internet to the search tool’s Web site. There, your query terms are matched against the index terms in the site’s database. The matching references are returned to your computer by the reverse process and displayed on your screen.
• The references returned are called "hits" and are ranked according to how well they match your query.

Now, conduct the following searches to become familiar with each of the four types search tools described above:

1. Directory [Subject Search]

Type http://www.yahoo.com in the location box of your Internet Browser [e.g. Netscape Navigator or MS Explorer]. Press Enter. The Yahoo! Home Page is displayed. From the subject list provided, choose and click a category of your interest to follow. Choose titles that are increasingly more specific until there are no more options of interest offered. Scroll through the references or hits, and click a hit that interests you to get an abstract or title of the reference.

2. Search Engine [Keyword Search]

Type http://www.infoseek.com in the location box of your Internet Browser and press Enter to access the Home Page. Using keywords, type your question or query into the location box. Click Find. Examine the hits of interest and click one to access the reference.

Go back and review Section A again from the beginning to re-enforce your understanding of the search methods.

Operators are the rules or specific instructions used for composing a query in a keyword search. A well-defined query greatly improves the chances of finding the information you are looking for. While each search engine has its own operators, some operators are used in common by a number of search engines. The following are among the most used operators.

Employs AND, OR, NEAR and NOT to connect words and phrases [i.e. terms] in the query where:

• AND requires that both terms are present somewhere within the document being sought.
• NEAR requires that one term must be found within a certain number of words of the other term.
• OR requires that at least one of the terms is present.
• NOT excludes any document containing the term.

When using these operators, remember to capitalize them as shown above.

• Employs [+] before a term to retrieve only the documents containing that term. It is similar to the Boolean AND.
• Employs [-] before a term to exclude that term from the search. It is similar to the Boolean NOT.
• Do not leave a space between the operator and the term that follows.

• Words enclosed within double quote marks denote an exact phrase, or reasonably close to it. It is sometimes similar to the Boolean NEAR. More often, it is treated like a single term.

4. Stemming [Truncation]

• The use of the stem or the main part of a word to search for variations of the word [e.g. the stem "sing" searches sings, singer, singing and singalong]. Stemming can be automatic, or it may require use of a wild card, symbolized by an asterisk [*] to initiate.

• Use lower case for query terms except for proper names.
• Treat adjacent capitalized words as a single proper name, e. g. George Washington.
• Separate proper names from each other a comma.

Operators may at first seem complex to the beginner, but become understandable with use. For more explicit information on the use of operators, go to Conducting Searches in Section H of the Appendix.

Because most search engines developed their systems of search independently, there is little consistency among them in terminology, database content or retrieval criteria. Thus, you will find that although keyword searches are easy to use, they require learning to use well.

Table II is organized to help identify frequently used operators for our list of preferred search tools. These were selected from over 100 search tools for the size and quality of their databases and the effectiveness of their retrieval systems.

Table Symbols: [x] means supports, [o] means excludes, [*] means a wild card capability.

In addition to the operators shown in the table, most search tools also have operators of their own. Searches benefit from careful adherence to a search tool’s operators, particularly for more difficult searches. Links to Help Addresses can be found under Search Tool Descriptions in Section G.

As can be seen in Table II, some operators are common to a number of search engines. We designated a selected set of these as Common Operators. This aspect provides a useful search technique that is illustrated in the following section.

Top

Your search for a specific item in a world of information can be difficult, especially if the search is done without any planning. This section recommends ways of conducting a search in an orderly and informed way. For those just beginning to learn the search process, use the following guides:

• Develop a general understanding of the search tools, process and language. However, it is not necessary to know everything at the beginning. Start with the information that you need to search subjects of interest. You will find that your understanding will build as your experience broadens.
• Avoid searching for obscure information not likely to be found without use of sophisticated search methods. Once you become familiar with the use of operators, you can move toward the more complex searches.
• In keyword searches, start by working with no more than two or three search tools until you gain some mastery over them. A search tool’s Help section usually describes its current keyword search practices. From these learn how best to compose a query and focus the search.
• The enormous amount of information on the Internet, the many search tools, and the complexities of their use may intimidate you. This need not be; just focus on the subject you wish to pursue, develop a search plan and go about finding the desired information.

There are various levels of complexity in conducting a keyword search. Begin with the easier searches and work your way toward those that are more complex.

Use natural language to compose your query since it does not require the use of operators or special rules.

• Yahoo is particularly effective as a start, because it has a keyword option along with a its subject search. With the largest subject directory, its sub-categories frequently become detailed enough to provide choice documents. If necessary, use the keyword search option at the appropriate place on the search path and employ natural language for the query.

• Go to AltaVista and compose your query in direct question form. Be sure to use the question mark at the end of the sentence to ensure a suitable search.

For a convenient way to conduct a moderately complex search, employ Common Operators to compose your query. These were selected from Table II and applied as follows:

• Use phrase-forming quote marks [" "] around search words that belong together.
• Use [+] sign before the query term to require that returned references contain that term.
• Use [-] sign to require that returned references omit the term.
• Use lower case except with proper names. Proper names are capitalized and separated by commas.

For a quick search, begin with a meta search tool, using the above Common Operators to compose your query. Meta searches are normally more tolerant of inexact use of operators, and their hit list is more likely to be shorter and of higher relevance. If a meta search tool does not provide the desired results, use search engines singly to obtain a more in-depth search.

At times, you will need to try many search engines to look for an obscure or difficult-to-find document. Use the following procedure to facilitate your search:

Once set up, the procedure works rapidly. The slow part then is evaluating the hits. You will find that there will be few duplicate references among the search tool results. Many of the hits will be unique, among which may be the reference of value to you.

The use of search engines has a trade-off ; it often produces an extraordinary number of hits. But, the first 20 to 30 are the most likely to contain the useful references, because hits are normally ranked according to their relevance.

In comparison to keyword searches, subject searches are rather simple. Subject searches begin with broad subject categories and proceed to subject matter that is increasingly more specific. To use a subject search, follow the search path and at each stop, examine the hits that are provided.

The main advantage of directory searches is that they are of significantly higher quality and relevance than those found through a search engine. This is because subject experts review all documents submitted before they are accepted. Because of this time-consuming effort, directory databases are much smaller than those of search engines.

With some exceptions, directories can take weeks, and sometimes months, to update their database contents. In marked contrast, search engines collect and update web sites automatically, often within one or two days. This is of particular value when being current is important.

It can be disconcerting to the beginner to find that the number of hits obtained can range from none to over a million, and their relevance or usefulness can vary from negligible to considerable. There are, however, guides that can greatly help improve your search results.

• If your subject is broad, start with a subject search such as Yahoo, LookSmart or Encyclopedia Britannica.
• If your subject is narrow or specific, use a keyword search such as Infoseek, Excite or Snap.
• If you are not sure, try Yahoo and take advantage of its keyword option if needed. This option narrows the search to the last subject title, but in a smaller field.
• Try a meta engine such as Savvy or Dogpile. Meta engines produce fewer hits usually of higher relevancy.
• Try a number of different search engines using the Clipboard-Bookmark procedure. You will find that the hits produced by the search engines are significantly different, and therefore the chances of your getting the document you want are much improved.
• Should your search involve an obscure or difficult-to-find topic, use a search engine having a large database such as AltaVista, HotBot or NorthernLight.
  

2. There are times when a search tool will not connect to a Web site for one of several reasons:

• You may have misspelled a word or erred in an address, not uncommon errors. A careful check will detect the mistake.
• You may have difficulty in accessing the site, because of the high activity there. In such instances, avoid the time period when all three US Time Zones coincide in their peak use period, usually from late afternoon through early evening.
• At times, the search tool itself may be disabled or undergoing changes, and you will need to wait until it is operating again.
• The site has been discontinued, but not removed as a link.

3. Because search tools are constantly trying to improve their performance, they are apt to make frequent changes in their database content, indexing and retrieval criteria. Thus, you will likely get a different response and ranking to the same query over time. This happens more frequently in keyword than in subject searches

4. During a search, you will sometimes find long articles that you prefer not to read or print at that moment. You can defer action by selecting the text, copying it onto Clipboard and then pasting it in a word processing window. Later you can read the articles and decide which parts, if any, you wish to keep for future reference. There is one drawback to this technique; tables do not replicate well.

5. Some Web sites may give you the option of eliminating graphics. For those with computers that are slow to download, you will speed up your search by using search tools that have minimal graphics. You can assess this factor by noting how long it takes to download a search tool’s home page. Alternatively, some browsers give you the option of deleting graphics entirely.

6. Each search engine has its own way of assigning relevance. Higher weighting is normally given to query terms in the title and the first few words in a document. For some search engines, proximity and frequency of query terms use are also factors. It is unusual that the best reference ranks first, unless your query happens to precisely match the search tool’s indexing.

7. Knowledge of how information is indexed can be helpful in selecting an appropriate search engine for a query. There are three methods used in the indexing of a Web site database.

• Full text index: A database index that is said to include all terms and URLs. In practice, each search tool uses a filter to remove words it considers unnecessary or impractical to search.
• Keyword Index: A database index that is based on the location and frequency of words and phrases. If a name or term is mentioned only once or twice in the Web site, it may not be included in its index. Keyword indexing is the most used and fastest growing indexing method.
• Person [Human] Index: This index is created by individuals who review Web sites and select the most appropriate words and phrases to describe their content. It provides a directory that is high in relevance and is based on similar cataloging methods used by libraries. Unlike the above two indexing methods, which employ robots, it has the value of being reviewed.

8. There are many ways of finding information on the Internet other than by the use of the WWW. These include WAIS, Archie, Veronica, Gopher and ftp, all of which preceded the WWW but have been greatly overshadowed by it. For the beginner, it is better to master the Web first, so as not to dilute your efforts.

9. There continues to be a huge proliferation of Web sites, because the Internet provides a simple and essentially cost-free way to publish and attain worldwide exposure. Because search engines spider their input without review, the searcher needs to be careful about the validity, accuracy and authority of their references. Directories, which are reviewed, have some advantage in this respect. In any case, wherever you can, consider the reputation of the author, source of the information and date of publication.

Learning to search the Web is an incremental process that builds with experience. You will find that your search skills will improve as you gain greater understanding of search terminology, search tool use and the way information is stored and retrieved. Some searches yield the desired information quickly, while with others you may just have to plod your way through. The learning process is laborious; but the reward is a world of information that becomes readily available to you.

Finally, to those who have sent comments, thank you very much. We would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions that could help make the next edition more useful. Send these to   davehab@home.com.

This tutorial is copyrighted. However, no permission is required to use it for educational, non-commercial purposes. A simple E-mail indicating where or how it will be used would be much appreciated. For permission to utilize any of this tutorial’s contents for commercial purposes, go to http://members.home.net/davehab/fee.htm.

Copyrighted 1998, 1999 David P. Habib, Robert L. Balliot

This section describes the Preferred Search Tools listed in Table II and provides links to their home and help page addresses. The following explains terms used in this section and supplies some helpful hints.

• Addresses: Home Page and Help addresses of the Preferred Search Tools are shown in the listing that follows. Save these addresses for easy access under Bookmarks or Favorite Places.
• Automatic Document Scanning: is a means of indexing or cataloging Web sites. It employs robots or spiders to scan all registered web sites, to add new sites and update older ones.
• Common Operators are a selected set of the most-used keyword search operators. [See Searching by Keyword in Section D for a description of their use].
• Frame -based Information: Information that resides within a box on a Web page. Some search engines will not search within frames and therefore the information there is not indexed and retrievable.
• Full Text indicates that all words in a Web site text are indexed. However, search engines with large databases tend to ignore commonly used words in queries, because they overload the search process.
• Home and Help Pages: Periodically, visit the Web sites of search tools that interest you. This will keep you current on changes in their search procedures. FAQ [Frequently Asked Questions] usually contains help as well as other useful information.

Of the more than one hundred search tools available, we selected the following for their capabilities and advantages. Because database contents of search tools tend to complement each other, they enlarge the area of available information. This makes it possible to find and retrieve even obscure information. Because competition among search tools is keen, they continuously strive to widen their scope and improve their performance. Therefore, you can expect the information that follows to undergo periodic revisions.

SNAP
Home Page Address: http://home.snap.com/
Help Page Address: http://home.snap.com/main/help/item/0,11,home-6736,00.html
Search Method: Primarily keyword, with an extensive directory listing.
Database: One of the largest and most inclusive directory indices.
Operators: Employs "Simple Search" operators in addition to pull-down options for constructing a Boolean search. The latter are comprehensive and sophisticated.
Features: Provides ways of narrowing a search. Can limit search by date and retrieve references by last date modified. A ‘Power Search’ option is available at http://home.snap.com/search/power/form/0,179,-0,00.html which can limit by language, time, and location.
Comments: A leading search engine. Has a very effective search system.

The skillful use of operators helps define a query accurately, thus greatly improving the chances of a successful search. To facilitate learning, we have divided instructions into "simple" and "advanced" searches. Before starting this segment, you may want to review "Search Operators" in Section B for a presentation on the basics.

For both beginners and non-experts, the operators employed in simple searches are sufficient for composing most all queries. Use them in whatever combination that provides the best definition. The examples shown are illustrative and are not necessarily an ideal query.

1. Plus and Minus

2. Stemming

3. Phrases

A phrase is a sequence of words that has a particular meaning and is formed by enclosure within double quotes. A phrase is treated as a single term and is usually searched as such.

                                                       Examples: "American customs"

                  +"Man of the Year"+"Time Magazine"

If a query asks for American customs rather than "American customs", the responses will be for the words American and customs separately, in addition to the coupled words. This increases the number of irrelevant hits enormously.

Use phrases whenever you can appropriately; they are one of the most effective means of sharpening meaning and narrowing a search.

Example: +"search the www" +"tutorial for beginners and non-experts"

This example is a much more definitive query than the following example:

+search +www +tutorial +beginners +non-experts

4. Case Sensitive

Each search tool tends to devise and organize its operators differently. Our advanced search includes both simple and advanced operators, much like that of AltaVista.

1. Boolean

• AND does not promise any association between terms and thus broadens a search. When unrestricted, it can produce an enormous number of hits.
  

• NEAR generally indicates that the query terms it connects are within about two to twenty-five words of each other, depending on the search engine. This makes it more likely that there is an association between the terms, thereby helping to narrow the search.

• OR broadens a search and is best used in a phrase to designate synonyms.

• NOT excludes even a single use of the term in the document. It is most suitably employed to reduce a large number of irrelevant hits when other measures have failed.

Example: "canine NOT dog* "

2. Parentheses

3. Fields

4. Refining Results

Despite the differences in the way search engines select, index and retrieve documents, there are common guides that you can use to help compose your query.

• Be as specific and complete as you can in selecting your keywords; they are critical to the success of your search.

• When possible, employ uncommon or unique terms, for they are less likely to be ignored or filtered. Avoid adjectives and adverbs unless they are part of a phrase; alone they do not convey much meaning.
• Arrange your terms in a series from the most general to the most specific; it makes for a more effective search.

• When using the same query for multiple searches, employ suitable, advanced operators. Most search engines will support their use to advantage, although some may ignore them or apply them differently.

• When you have located a good site about your topic, see whether it has links to other sites. Sometimes an important document is found this way. The site may also contain keywords that can improve your query.
• Use the Refine drop-down lists when offered. They are a simple way to narrow your search.

• Avoid misspellings, redundant terms and complicated query structure.

Even when your query is well defined, there are times when a search engine will return totally irrelevant responses. The following explains some of the causes and suggests remedies you can try.

1. Your query terms do not have a counterpart in the search engine’s index.

2. The search engine has failed to index significant keywords while spidering the Internet.

3. The search engine filters out or ignores important keywords used in your query! This corrupts the meaning of the query resulting in totally irrelevant results.

At times, despite all the skills you can apply, you may still not be able to find the document you want. Although the information indexed in the WWW is enormous, it is not necessarily complete, up-to-date or reasonably accessible. Search tools are addressing the problem, including that created by the recent unprecedented growth of Web pages. But despite its less than perfect performance, the Internet remains a remarkable source of information.

At present, most providers of Popular Sites use professional services to furnish their sites, either wholly or in part. Thus, more than one search tool can employ the same service. While less convenient, Popular Sites also can be found conventionally by conducting a keyword search.

The following are our recommendations for some of the current best Popular Sites:

There are many useful though less traveled sites on the Internet. HotBot and Lycos list some of the best, and are worth exploring. They organize their listings by category with subject titles under each category. USA Today Cybertimes section also reviews web sites. For a strong subject specific approach, the Scout Report reviews many educational sites. Their URL’s are:

• HotBot at http://www.100hot.com/ Provides 10 categories from which 100 of the sites can be accessed
• Lycos at http://point.lycos.com/categoriesLists 15 categories containing up to 25 subjects each.
• USA Today Cybertimes http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/ch.htm
• Scout Report http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/current/index.html

Portals

There is a class of Web sites referred to as portals, because they serve as entryways to the Internet. The early portals were mainly browsers and Internet Service Providers. Recently, some search tools have promoted their use as portals, mostly for the advertising revenues they bring. And to enhance their Web sites, they have added a wide selection of Popular Sites. Portals are characterized by the attractive and convenient features that have made America on Line so immensely popular and successful. Yahoo, Excite, Lycos and Infoseek are among the more prominent search tool portals. Not surprising, there is keen competition among all Internet entryways serving as portals.

There is one sad note about a recent trend among Search Tools, particularly those that have sought to serve as portals. Some have become garish and cluttered, which detracts from their use for searches. Among the poorer now are AltaVista, Excite and Infoseek. Among the best for ease of use are Hotbot, Northern Light and Yahoo. Hopefully, this situation will improve when sanity returns, as usually happens in such situations.