CMN 110 - Public Speaking: Searching Google (the Free Web)

1. Use the Advance search.  It has many more options. 
2. Keep the search simple.  Describe what you need with as few terms as possible.
3. Be specific. More words in a search narrows one's results.
4. Avoid using a question as a query.
5. Think how the page you are looking for will be written.
6. Choose descriptive words.
7. Use a phrase
8. Exclude using "-"
9. Use Similar Words and Synonyms by using "~"
10. Find specific documents by using "filetype"
    filetype:ppt gives you PowerPoint files 

Google offers multiple option for limiting your search results.  Consult these links for learning more.

• Google Advanced Search Interface 
• Google Advanced Search Tips 
• Google Basic Search Help 
• Google Blog Search 
• Google Books 
• Google News 
• Google Scholar 
• Youtube

When searching for information on the "free web", you need to be critical.  Here are a few reasons:

• anyone can post anything on the web
• the amount of information online can be overwhelming; there are currently more than 124 million websites in existence
• many websites have an agenda, and may be trying to sell you something
• search results bring varying results, only some of which may be relevant for your research
• most scholarly sources are not available on the "free web", but through library databases