Searching information on computers (Effective searching)

 

Searching information on computers

 

 

 

Computers can hold huge amounts of information. Find the right information using databases and websites and understand how to build searches using Boolean logic.


Effective searching

A query contains keywords that relate to what you’re looking for.

When searching a large database or the internet, a query will most likely return millions of results. Use more keywords to improve accuracy and to reduce a high volume of results.

For example, the following search for a local music festival will get increasingly accurate results:

  1. music
  2. music festival
  3. music festival 2011
  4. music festival south east 2011

Most search engines have advanced search options which help you narrow down the results even further.

Using more keywords creates a more accurate search result

Search engines try to make sense of your query. For example, in the past a search for ‘Doctor Who’ might have returned results like ‘Doctor Seemore, who is an eye specialist’. Today, the same search returns results for the TV programme Doctor Who.