SEARCH ENGINE GUIDE

Academic Search Engines -- More Info...

UNF students log in here if you are off campus
to use the academic search engines and link to full text.

Info & Caution

Search Tips

Info

General Search Engines

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Multi-Search Engine Search Tips	Search Tips	Search Tips
Search Government Sites Search Tips	Search Government Documents	Internet Directory Search Tips
Live Search Search Tips	Search Tips	Search for PodCasts

Ask

Ask's ExpertRank algorithm provides relevant search results by identifying the most authoritative sites on the Web. With Ask search technology, it's not just about who's biggest: it's about who's best. Our ExpertRank algorithm goes beyond mere link popularity (which ranks pages based on the sheer volume of links pointing to a particular page) to determine popularity among pages considered to be experts on the topic of your search. This is known as subject-specific popularity. Identifying topics (also known as "clusters"), the experts on those topics, and the popularity of millions of pages amongst those experts -- at the exact moment your search query is conducted -- requires many additional calculations that other search engines do not perform. -- Ask website

Ask search technology responds to questions, phrases, or single word searches, giving you more options and making it easier for you to search the way you want.
Word order is important
More tips

Clusty

Clusty queries several top search engines, combines the results, and generates an ordered list based on comparative ranking. This "metasearch" approach helps raise the best results to the top and push search engine spam to the bottom. -- Clusty website

"And" is the default boolean operator.
Clusty supports advanced searching techniques.
Boolean operators are and, or, and not.
Use quotes for a phrase search.
Help screens are excellent.

Complete Planet -- searches the "Deep Web"

See Complete Planet FAQs for more information about the deep Web.
Complete Planet supports sophisticated Boolean searching.
Synonyms, wildcards, stemming, etc. are also supported.
See Complete Planet's help pages for full information.

Dogpile -- Metasearch Engine

Dogpile searches the Internet's top search engines, including Google, Yahoo, Live Search, and Ask.

Quotes and parentheses may be used. For those search engines that do not support them, they will be automatically removed.
Tips

Google -- Google tools and advanced searching by David Wilson - UNF CIRT

"10^100 (a gigantic number) is a googol, but we liked the spelling 'Google' better. We picked the name 'Google' because our goal is to make huge quantities of information available to everyone. Also, it sounds cool and has only six letters. " -- Sergey Brin and Larry Page, company founders.

Basic Search: Type in a few descriptive words. Google automatically uses 'and' to combine words. In addition, Google uses sophisticated text-matching and page-linking techniques to return relevant results.
Use quotes to search for a phrase. Example: "cat food".
Google ignores common words. Terms such as 'where' and 'how', as well as certain single digits and single letters, are not included in searches unless you indicate that they are essential. Do that by using a + sign. Example: Star Wars Episode +1.
Google searches are not case sensitive. Capitals and lower case letters are searched equally.
Google does support an 'or' search. Use it to broaden a search by looking for either word. Example: airlines or airplanes.
Use a minus sign (-) to exclude words. Example: bass -music
Google does not automatically find plurals and variant spellings. If you need a plural, you must ask for it. Example: airline or airlines
Google has nice, easy to read help pages.
Advanced Search: Google's Advanced Search gives you many options for narrowing a search. It does all the work for you.

Google Scholar

UNF has an agreement with Google Scholar that links to the full text in UNF databases. Here is more information.

Google Scholar is wonderful for those who do not have access to the research databases provided through the library.
The library's databases have many more options and much more depth. Many times the full text is immediately available. You don't have to try to find it or pay for it.
Things you can do with library databases that you can't do with Google Scholar.
- Find full text instantly back to the early 1990s -- and some earlier
- Limit by journal type -- academic/scholarly, peer-reviewed, trade journals, etc.
- Limit by document type -- book review, article, research, etc.
- Limit by date - as far back as the 1960s in some databases
- Search very specifically using descriptors and subject headings not available in Google
- And lots more!
- Need more information? Ask A Librarian!
Here is information from Google's pages that explain what Google Scholar is and how it works.

Google Groups - search Usenet newsgroups

Google Groups is a service that searches for Usenet newsgroups. If you are interested in finding a newsgroup to join or would like to know what is being discussed on a certain subject, this is the place to start.

Type as many words as you want in the query form. The default operator is the boolean and.
If you would like more options, try the Advanced Search.
The help screens are excellent.
Don't worry about upper or lower case letters (case insensitive).

Google Government Search

Use Google search rules.

Librarians' Index to the Internet - an Internet directory that is searchable

The Librarians' Index to the Internet (LII) is a searchable, annotated subject directory of more than 13,000 Internet resources selected and evaluated by librarians. LII is meant to be used by both librarians and non-librarians as a reliable and efficient guide to described and evaluated Internet resources.
You may select from the subject groupings or search by keyword.
You have several options for searching. Use the drop-down boxes to select where you want to search and how you want your search limited.

Live Search

"And" is the default boolean operator.
Use quotes to search for a phrase.
Windows Live automatically narrows searches to areas that are closest to your IP address.
Use the Advanced Search options to narrow or focus a search and to simulate being in different areas of the country or world.

Scirus - searches for scientific information

Responding to the need for focused, comprehensive and reliable overviews of relevant scientific information, Elsevier Science has developed the powerful Internet search tool Scirus. Scirus distinguishes itself from existing search engines by concentrating on scientific content only and by searching both web and journal sources. It enables scientists, students and anyone searching for scientific information to chart and pinpoint data, locate university sites, and find reports and articles in a clutter-free, user-friendly and efficient manner.
Basic Search allows you to select all of the words, any of the words, or exact phrase.
You may also limit your search to Web resources or journals.
Advanced Search gives you many more options for limiting.
Because the UNF Library has a subscription to Science Direct, UNF students and faculty can access the journal articles found using Scirus.

Yahoo! Search

Use quotation marks (" ") to force a phrase.
Use a plus sign (+) to include words. Example: +in thing.
Use a minus sign (-) to exclude words. Example: dogs -poodles.
If you need a plural, you must ask for it. Example: airline or airlines.
Two or more alternatives, use OR in capital letters. Example: new zealand kayaking OR biking.
Yahoo! has many more search hints here.