Module 3: Finding and Evaluating Information on the World Wide Web

Task 5: Building and Focusing Search Queries

Name: _______________________ Instructor: __________________ Section: ________

Objectives

In this task you will learn to:

• use a search engine to find material on the web
• create effective focused search queries
• use advanced search features

Instructions

Activity 1: Planning a Search Query

For this activity, imagine that you are working on an academic project about the dangers of playing video games. Your working thesis statement is:

Video games are dangerous because they lead to psychological damage.

Answer each of these questions before you begin using a search engine to find materials on the web.

1. If you type your working thesis into a search engine, what words will it most likely not search for?

2. What words from your working thesis are most important to find in your search? (list them in the order of their importance to your work)

3. Of the keywords you have identified in 2 above, which words are most likely to appear together? (list these next to each other)

4. What other forms of the keywords might be useful to search?

5. What synonyms of the keywords might be useful to search for?

Based on your responses to the questions above, write at least four search queries that you want to try out.

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

Activity 2: Try Out Search Queries

Use a search engine to try out each of the search queries you developed in Activity 1 and record the number of hits each query produces. Be sure to try a variety of combinations of key words in different orders.

Search Engine Used:

Now, use a different search engine to try the same search queries and record the number of hits produced.

Search Engine Used:

6. Based on the hits all of these search queries have returned, what other key words should you add to your list?

A.

B.

C.

Activity 3: Using Advanced Search

Most search engines allow users to add specific directions to a search query to further refine and limit the results. To reach these features, go to the search engine web site, and click on Advanced Search. Take notes as your instructor demonstrates using Advanced Search

Follow the steps below to practice using advanced search features to focus a search query.

1. Choose the search queries from the previous activities that you consider to be the most effective or useful for finding information so far.
2. Choose the search engine that you consider to be the most effective or useful.
3. Open the search engine and then choose Advanced Search.
4. For each of the following steps, write down both what search query you entered (the terms) and how you entered it (in which dialogue boxes). Then, run the search and note how many hits the search produced.
   

Now, answer these questions about what you have learned from using Advanced Search.

7. How does Advanced Search help users to limit and focus their search?

8. Why is it helpful--or even necessary--to do more than one Advanced Search?

9. In your opinion, what is the most valuable tool available in Advanced Search for users working on academic projects? Why?