SECTION 3: USING SEARCH ENGINES EFFECTIVELY

ENTERING YOUR SEARCH QUESTION

The way that you enter a search question will also impact on the search results.

In most cases, it is NOT appropriate to enter an actual question or phrase:

Do NOT Enter: I am looking for information on the health benefits of yoga.

Do NOT Enter: possible side-effects of AZT on vision or eyes

Do NOT Enter: can I safely take AZT and Retrovir and zidovudine. Do the drugs interact badly with one another?

Search engines do NOT have the power to understand or interpret search questions like the examples above.

Search engines would attempt to pull keywords, or the two or three most important words, out of the questions above.

Instead of entering complex questions, enter simple combinations of words, using the AND, OR, or (nesting inside parentheses to separate the AND from the OR) to express your topics.

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