Search Engines - Advanced User Interface



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	Course Homepage Course Modules: Online Community Background Information Basic Web Searching Managing Resources Advanced Web Searching Comprehensive Web Search Strategies Course Projects Assessment	Search Engines - Advanced User Interface Your head is probably spinning as you try to make sense of those Boolean Operators, Quick Guides and Search Engine Help Files that you collected. You are not alone. Since most non-professional web researchers haven’t spent their careers learning the intricacies of Boolean logic and don’t spend their nights dreaming of the ultimate search string, search engine architects have begun adding interactive menus to their user interface that greatly simplify the use of Boolean operators. On this pass through the search engines, you will use the advanced user interface that is usually located on another level behind the basic search engine user interface. You can reach the advanced user interface by looking for these terms: Note: Search Engines seem to be in a constant state of revision. If you don't immediately see a link to an "advanced" screen, read the search engine's help files to see if that feature is available. As you examine the advanced search interface, you will see that the Boolean operators have been built into the drop down menus and check boxes on the interface. In most cases you won’t even have to construct your own search string that contains the Boolean operators you want to use. You can enter a search string with the actual Boolean operators in some search engines. In most cases the results you get will not be fundamentally different than those you would get using the graphic user interface… but, if you are so inclined, give it a try. Continue adding comments and notes to your digital logbook. Add the webpages that this advanced searching locates to your bookmark list. You will quickly see that using Boolean operators will raise your web research to a higher plane. Send an e-mail message to the course instructor. Describe which of the advanced web searching techniques seems to return the most usable "hits". continue

Fresno Pacific University \| School of Professional Studies

Website maintained by Bob Jost \| bjost@josts.net \| last revised Jan. 1, 2002 Copyright © 1998-2002 by Bob Jost & Geoffrey Jost. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be transmitted, stored or recorded in any form without written permission from the authors.



instructor \| listserve \| web board \| project archives \| toolkit

	Course Homepage Course Modules: Online Community Background Information Basic Web Searching Managing Resources Advanced Web Searching Comprehensive Web Search Strategies Course Projects Assessment	Search Engines - Advanced User Interface Your head is probably spinning as you try to make sense of those Boolean Operators, Quick Guides and Search Engine Help Files that you collected. You are not alone. Since most non-professional web researchers haven’t spent their careers learning the intricacies of Boolean logic and don’t spend their nights dreaming of the ultimate search string, search engine architects have begun adding interactive menus to their user interface that greatly simplify the use of Boolean operators. On this pass through the search engines, you will use the advanced user interface that is usually located on another level behind the basic search engine user interface. You can reach the advanced user interface by looking for these terms: Note: Search Engines seem to be in a constant state of revision. If you don't immediately see a link to an "advanced" screen, read the search engine's help files to see if that feature is available. As you examine the advanced search interface, you will see that the Boolean operators have been built into the drop down menus and check boxes on the interface. In most cases you won’t even have to construct your own search string that contains the Boolean operators you want to use. You can enter a search string with the actual Boolean operators in some search engines. In most cases the results you get will not be fundamentally different than those you would get using the graphic user interface… but, if you are so inclined, give it a try. Continue adding comments and notes to your digital logbook. Add the webpages that this advanced searching locates to your bookmark list. You will quickly see that using Boolean operators will raise your web research to a higher plane. Send an e-mail message to the course instructor. Describe which of the advanced web searching techniques seems to return the most usable "hits". continue

Fresno Pacific University \| School of Professional Studies

Website maintained by Bob Jost \| bjost@josts.net \| last revised Jan. 1, 2002 Copyright © 1998-2002 by Bob Jost & Geoffrey Jost. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be transmitted, stored or recorded in any form without written permission from the authors.