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TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE SEARCHING
To
retrieve precise information within a specified time period, it is very
important to select right search engine, accurate search word and appropriate
search technique. Each search engine has its own speed, size and content,
therefore the same search retrieves different on every search engine. The
following search facilities may be used for effective searching.
1.
Boolean query logic operators – One
major task in the searching process relates to the coordination of terms in
order to formulate the actual search statement. The result of search depends on
how adequately the search terms are combined. Search terms may be combined into
search statement with the aid of search logic (Boolean operators). The
Boolean techniques are used for advanced search.
To narrow the search AND
To expand the search OR
To avoid the second
keyword NOT or AND NOT
Parenthesis ( ) should be used for using more than one
Boolean operator.
2.
Truncation – It is a useful technique in
searching as one can use it to search for group of words with the same
root.e.g. Compu* will retrieve computer, computing, computation, compute. A number of different options are available for
truncation e.g. right truncation, left truncation and marking of letters in the
middle of the work.
3. Proximity searching – This search facility allows the user to specify whether two search terms should occur adjacent to each other, whether one or more words occur in between the search terms, whether the search term should occur in the same paragraph irrespective of the intervening words and soon.
For example- Information (W) System (specifies the order of
terms)
Information (2n) System (specifies no.
of intervening terms between two search terms)
Information
(F) System (specifies appearance of search terms in the same field)
1. Range searching – It is mostly useful with numerical information. The following options are usually available for range searching.
greaterthan (>)
Lessthan
(<)
Equal to (=)
Not equal to (/=)
Greaterthan equal to (>=)
Or Equal to (< =)
2. Limiting searching /field searching – Here the user can specify that the search terms are to be looked for in one or more fields.
Internet/ ti, de (restricts search for the term Internet in
the title and descriptor field)
Internet/2001: 2002 (limit the search to a specified time
period)