Tips for Internet Searching

SEARCH TOOL FEATURES

Tips for successful Web searching

Always check for typos

Try searching for multiple terms or phrases rather than a single word

Read the search engine's help screens

Basic Search Techniques of Several Search Engines

Search Engine Connecting Term or Symbols Truncation? Phrase Searching Upper/Lower case requirements

AltaVista
www.altavista.com
+ / -
and, or,

and not
Use * at end of term Use quotation marks Upper case retrieves exact match

Excite
www.excite.com
+ / -
AND, OR,

AND NOT

(must be in caps)
No Use quotation marks except for proper nouns Matches capital letters

HotBot
www.hotbot.com
+ / -
and, or, not
No Use quotation marks Case insensitive

Lycos
www.lycos.com
+ / -
and, or, not
Automatic Use quotation marks Case insensitive

Google + / - No Use
quotation
marks Case
insensitive

Yahoo!
www.yahoo.com
+ /- Use * at end of term Use quotation marks Upper case retrieves exact match

Advanced Search Techniques for Alta Vista and Yahoo!

Search Engine	AltaVista www.altavista.com	Yahoo! www.yahoo.com
Connecting Term	type: and, or, and not, near	choose from list: AND <or> OR
Date Limit	type date in "from" or "to" boxes. E.g., to limit to Jan. 1, 1999, type: 01/jan/99	Specify date range in pull-down menu retrieves exact match
Field Search	type field name before term: E.g., to search for "Palomar" in title fields only, type: title:Palomar to search for "Palomar" in url fields only, type: url:Palomar	type field first initial before: E.g., to search for "Palomar" in title fields only, type: t:Palomar to search for "Palomar" in url fields only, type: u:Palomar
Display Options	Specify order of documents by importance of terms: -type keywords in 'Enter Ranking Box' in order of importance -type search in "Enter Boolean Expression" box	Can specify number of results displayed on each screen

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Search Engine	Connecting Term or Symbols	Truncation?	Phrase Searching	Upper/Lower case requirements
AltaVista www.altavista.com	+ / - and, or, and not	Use * at end of term	Use quotation marks	Upper case retrieves exact match
Excite www.excite.com	+ / - AND, OR, AND NOT (must be in caps)	No	Use quotation marks except for proper nouns	Matches capital letters
HotBot www.hotbot.com	+ / - and, or, not	No	Use quotation marks	Case insensitive
Lycos www.lycos.com	+ / - and, or, not	Automatic	Use quotation marks	Case insensitive
Google	+ / -	No	Use quotation marks	Case insensitive
Yahoo! www.yahoo.com	+ /-	Use * at end of term	Use quotation marks	Upper case retrieves exact match