Ask the following:
What am I looking for?
Think of common keywords
for specific information
you are searching for.

Ask the following:
How would someone else
describe it to me?
This can lead to
alternative words that
may give better searches.

Ask the following:
Of the list of terms,
which ones are
most common and
yield better results?

Ask the following:
What do I really want to find?
Do I need an image,
a collection, a news item...
What would give me what I really need?

Ask the following:
If the snippet is close to what is needed,
click \"related articles\" under the snippet
to get more related articles
and come closer to the actual query.

Ask the following:
If your query gets
thousands of hits,
it is not specific enough.
Your query should be answered
in the first page of results.

Ask the following:
Use + to include a specific term
or - to detract a word from
showing up in a search.
Ex.
Chihuahua
Chihuahua +Mexico
Chihuahua +Mexico -maps

For consideration:
Search for broad terms in order to
narrow down what you need.
It can be a waste of time to go
through pages of results but
the terms that show up may be
a great way to refine your search.
Ex. Big Ben vs. Big Ben pittsburgh

For consideration:
Search synonyms and
alternative spellings
by using OR
Ex.
saber or sabre
rc glider vs. rc gliders

For consideration:
Search background information
Ex.
Hawaii vs. Hawaii history

For consideration:
Use gateway sites:
www.cia.gov (international),
www.wikipedia.com,
www.reference.com,
www.about.com (tutorials),
www.fedstats.gov (US collected statistics and facts)

For consideration:
Find your own gateway sites.
Ex.
aquaponics how-to

Tools
Use Advanced search to find specific formats:
pdf, doc, etc.
http://www.google.com/advanced_search

Tools
Searching news:
news.google.com
news.google.com/archivesearch
(some sites require logins or payment)
Other news sites:
cnn.com, abc.com, npr.org, csmonitor.com, nytimes.com

Tools
Trends
trends.google.com
Ex. obama, mccain
(separate terms with a comma)

Tools
Google Scholar
scholar.google.com
Search articles and books
not from popular culture.
Choose scholar preferences
for university libraries.

Tools
Books:
Books.google.com
Or use Amazon - can search inside the book
Both Google scholar and Google books
will find you the book
in the nearest library
(use \"Library Search\" under the snippet)

Tools
Specific Domain Search:
sheep vs. sheep site:.gov vs. sheep site:.uk
Top level domains:
.gov, .mil, .uk, .fr, .de, .com, .org,
.biz, .is, .aq, .aero, .asia, .museum, .us

Tools
Dictionaries:
Use define:
Find the word from the definition:
Reverse dictionary:
www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml
Ex. What is podzolization?
What is the little indentation
above your upper lip called?

Tools
Use a number range in your search
number range is signified by \"..\"
Ex. hdtv $1000..$2000