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3.3 How Do I Find Information?
Your Road Map to Success: Section 3.3
Learning Outcome 3.3: Explain how to search for information in
a digital university library and on the
Internet and determine what type of search is required based on
an information need.
Why is this important?
Mastering this outcome will help strengthen your researching
skills and ability to locate information both
on the Internet and in a digital university library. For example,
Jamar’s first visit to the digital library was
frustrating. He couldn’t find anything related to the specific
topic he wanted to research. After consulting
a librarian and learning more about searching, he realized he
had been using the wrong databases. His
second visit was much more fruitful; he found all he needed in
just a few minutes!
How does this relate to your success in this course?
Mastering this learning outcome will help you locate the
information you need to do your assignments

quickly and efficiently so that you can balance the needs of
school, work, family, and other commitments.
It will also give you the tools to find the answers you need—
whether you are researching a school
assignment or seeking advice for yourself or your family.
All libraries have a system for organizing and accessing their
collection that is specific to the resources they
carry and the communities they serve. Most public and
academic libraries use electronic catalogs that allow users
to search their collections online. An online catalog is a digital
record that contains all of the physical items
located within a library. It may also contain a record of the
ebooks and journals a library carries, though typically
not its databases. These catalogs are searchable by title, author,
subject, keyword, and more. Libraries have also
shared their catalogs, making them available online through
WorldCat (https://www.worldcat.org/default.jsp
(https://www.worldcat.org/default.jsp) ). This worldwide
catalog lists library items available based on your location
and contains bibliographic information on the holdings of over
10,000 libraries worldwide.
A purely digital library does not have a physical collection and
therefore does not use a catalog. Instead, it uses
several databases. A database is a digital collection of stored
information that has been organized, often by
several criteria, such as author, title, and subject. Databases
include abstracts, full-text documents, images,
statistics, and more. Some databases contain general
information on a variety of topics, and others contain
information only within a specific discipline or field. Think of a
database like a virtual library shelf. It contains
many of the same resources you would find on a shelf in a
physical library but in a digital form.

The Internet is another system that has also significantly
increased the ease of accessing and locating
information. Let’s take a closer look at how to access
information in the digital age.
Library Databases
https://www.worldcat.org/default.jsp
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A university library’s digital collection consists of different
databases that contain ebooks, articles, videos,
images, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and more. In many cases
content inside a database is leased through a
subscription. When the terms of these subscriptions change, so
does the content readily available within a
library’s database. This means the number of e-journals and
articles available can fluctuate, since they change
with the terms of the subscription.
Although a university library’s databases are located on the
Internet, they are not freely available. Usually, only
students, faculty, and staff can use them. Once individuals are
no longer affiliated with the university, they
typically must purchase costly subscriptions to access databases
and individual journals. Looking back at the
ACRL threshold concept information has value, we can see how
limiting access to certain types of information
reflects the value associated with that type of information while
also creating a system that privileges some while

marginalizing others (ACRL, 2015). Many argue that
information, particularly important information such as
academic and scientific studies, should be freely available to
all. Such open access could benefit a larger
audience, improving collaboration among researchers and
potentially increasing innovation.
Two of the largest databases most commonly used by libraries
are EBSCOhost and ProQuest. They are
multidisciplinary databases, which means they carry
information on a wide variety of subjects. The following
snapshot provides information on a few of the many other
commonly used library databases.
Highlight: Common University Library Databases
JSTOR (pronounced Jay-store) is a humanities database that
contains information on art, history,
social sciences, and literature.
ERIC contains information on educational topics. It also
includes a special thesaurus that
provides a list of descriptive terms that you can use to help you
search the database.
Mergent is a business database that provides a wealth of
information on both public and private
companies.
PubMed Central is a digital archive with information on
biomedical and life sciences studies
published in journals worldwide. It is sponsored by the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) and
managed by the NIH’s National Center for Biotechnology
Information in the National Library of
Medicine. It is available to anyone free of charge.
Films on Demand contains academic videos on a variety of
subjects from producers such as
PBS, A&E, the History TV network, and others.

ProQuest Newsstand contains information from newspapers,
newswires, and other news sources
around the globe.
Credo Reference is a reference database containing books, such
as encyclopedias, that cover
every major subject. It also contains images (art, diagrams,
maps, and photos), audio
pronunciation files, and sound clips.
SAGE Journals includes leading international peer-reviewed
journals in a variety of disciplines.
Often, students will begin their research expecting to find one
perfect article that entirely explains their topic or
answers their research question. However, this rarely happens.
Instead, you will most likely find several articles
that discuss aspects of your topic. Some articles may have only
a single paragraph of information you can use,
whereas others may have only a sentence. Conducting good
research takes patience, so you should spend some
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time strategically exploring many different articles, collecting
the bits and pieces of information that will be
useful to your research.
Quick Tip!
Accessing the Database

Sometimes students find that they are asked to enter a user
name and password while searching in a
database. This most often means that there is an issue with the
student’s browser or Internet connection.
To correct this problem, try clearing out your cache and cookie
files. In most cases, taking this step
instantly corrects the problem.
Basic Searching Techniques
At first, searching in a database can seem confusing,
intimidating, and frustrating. However, as with most things
in life, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. A database
search engine is basically a word finder. It does
not understand or interpret meaning. It simply scans its
collection for a resource that has all of the words you
entered into the search box. This means that paying close
attention to the words you include and exclude in your
search terms is important.
Highlight: Reframe Searching in Databases
Database searching requires students to reframe the way they
perform searches. When
searching the Internet, the search engine is in the driver’s seat,
meaning that it makes decisions
for us. While this makes searching easy, the results that are
returned are often narrow in scope
and predominantly non-academic. With database searching, the
student is in the driver’s seat.
To get the information they want, students will have to learn
how to command the database to
return what they need. While this takes more work, the results
are far better, deeper, and much
more appropriate for academic research.

—Cynthia Lewis, librarian
Keyword Search
Keyword searching will likely be the most common way you
search for information inside and outside the digital
university library. Keyword searching allows you to construct a
search by looking for an exact word or
combination of words contained in the author, title, or subject
fields in the library databases.
To generate a variety of articles on your topic, it’s important to
brainstorm a list of different keywords before
beginning your search. Since databases are only word finders,
using a diverse list of keywords increases your
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chances of finding a wide range of articles. Consider the
following tips and tricks for effectively searching using
keywords.
1. Identify what you want to search by thinking critically about
your assignment. Avoid typing in a
question or sentence when searching a database. Identify the
main ideas from your topic and think of
keywords that represent those main ideas.
2. Think of other ways to say the same thing. Part of successful
researching requires the use of synonyms.
If you were looking for information on social networking, you

could also try searching for online social
media, Facebook, Twitter, and so forth. These searches would
yield different results. Think about how
others might say what you are looking for and try adjusting your
search terms accordingly. Your
background research may also reveal additional terms related to
your topic.
3. Enter only a few keywords into the search box. The database
will search for something that has every
word you enter.
4. Make sure your spelling is correct. Many databases do not
correct for spelling. This means that if you
misspell a word in the search box, you may not receive any
results and won’t be notified as to why. To
prevent this problem, always make sure that the words you put
into the search box are spelled correctly.
5. Use quotation marks when searching for a short phrase or
words you want to keep together. Putting
quotation marks around words or phrases tells the database you
want to search only results that have
those terms in that exact order. For example, you would type
“attention deficit disorder” for information
about this condition. Without the quotation marks, the database
will search for each of the three words
individually, flooding your list of results with resources you
don’t want. However, avoid placing
quotation marks around a long string of terms, since doing so
would severely limit your results.
6. Remember, sometimes less is more! For different results, try
using just one keyword or phrase in each
search box rather than combining them.

Highlight: Practice Searching in Databases
Use ProQuest Newsstand to find a newspaper article written
within the first few days of a well-known
news event, such as Hurricane Laura or the COVID-19
pandemic.
Locate a more recent article (newspaper or scholarly) on the
same topic. Was any information missing
from the original newspaper account? Did the updated article
provide a different view or perspective
from the account given in early reports?
Let’s check back in with Irwin, who decided to begin his
research in the digital library by consulting with a
librarian. After he explained his research assignment, the
librarian asked what keywords he’d used to conduct his
background research. He told her that he’d used social
networking, Facebook, and society. She suggested that he
add “social media” (with quotation marks) to his list of
keywords. She reminded Irwin of the importance of
using quotation marks to keep terms or phrases together. Since
Irwin wants to focus on the benefits of social
networking in the workplace, the librarian also added the terms
workplace and LinkedIn to the list of keywords.
Lastly, Irwin mentioned that during his background research, he
had come across some information by a man
named Marshall McLuhan and wanted to see if he could find
any library resources written by him. The librarian
suggested that Irwin add McLuhan’s name to the growing list of
keywords. The librarian then showed Irwin how
to navigate the library’s search options and begin using his
keywords.

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Author Search
Conducting an author search is beneficial when you know the
name of a resource’s author and need to locate the
actual work. The author can be a single person, a group of
people, or even an organization. The process for
conducting this type of search in a search engine and in a
database differs greatly. When conducting an author
search using a search engine, the more information you can
provide, the better. Try using the full name of the
first author listed. The order in which you type the first and last
names doesn’t really matter. Either way, you are
sure to get results you can work with. For example, Irwin could
try searching for Marshall McLuhan or
McLuhan, Marshall, and Google will understand what he is
looking for.
Searching by author name in a database is a bit more
complicated. Databases do not recognize punctuation, and
including it in the search box confuses the database. This means
searching for McLuhan, Marshall will not work,
because the comma separating the names will not be recognized.
Instead, try searching with the author’s last
name only. Since it’s impossible to predict how the author’s
name is listed within an article (M. McLuhan or
McLuhan, Marshall or Marshall McLuhan), using the last name
only is your safest bet to retrieve the
information you need. Many databases give you the option of
selecting an author search. While this is not
considered an advanced researching skill, databases often keep
this option on their advanced searching page. The

following shows how Irwin conducted this search.
Title Search
When searching for the title of a resource, whether online or in
a database, you’ll have the most luck by
searching with the complete title and placing quotation marks
around it, such as “Five Tips for Running Your
Own Business”. You will most likely have some luck searching
with a partial title using a search engine. Even
inputting a few words from a title will often yield results that
will lead you to the title you are looking for. In
contrast, searching by title in a database works best when you
know the complete title or at least the majority of
it.
For example, during his background research, Irwin noticed that
multiple sources referred to the article
“Anonymity or Fame: What Influences Behavior on Social
Networking Sites?” This suggests that the article
contains important information, so Irwin decided to search for it
in the library databases. Just as with author
searching, the option for a title-only search can usually be
located on the advanced search page. Irwin used only
a portion of the title to search with and put quotation marks
around the words he wanted to keep together. The
following is what Irwin’s title search looked like.
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The article Irwin was looking for came up on the first page of

results. Now that he has two successful database
searches under his belt, he is ready to try more!
Subject Search
Conducting a subject search is useful when you would like to
explore resources on a particular topic. Engaging
in this type of search on the Internet simply entails typing a
subject into a search engine’s search box. In contrast,
subject searches work best in a database when you use the
scholarly term to describe the subject you are
searching. Let’s say you want to conduct a subject search on the
term “heart attack.” The database will return
results using these terms, but to find scholarly articles on this
topic, you would need to search with the
commonly used scholarly term “myocardial infarction.” When
you’re not sure what the scholarly term for a
subject might be, try using the suggested popular terms option
underneath the search bar. These might help you
locate a different term or terms that would be more effective.
Search results can also be filtered by subject on the results
page. There the subject filter lists subtopics and
alternative terms relating to the initial search. Simply placing a
check in the box next to the term will update your
search results with resources on that topic.
If the subject of your search contains more than one word,
remember to put quotation marks around it. For
example, use “acid rain” or “19th Amendment” or “myocardial
infarction”. This approach is important whether
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you’re using a search engine or a database. Remember,
quotation marks tell search engines and databases that
you would like to keep your search terms together in a specific
order. In Irwin’s case, since the focus of his paper
is social networking, his subject search would look like this
screenshot.
Notice that Irwin selected SU Subject Terms from the drop-
down menu to search for social networking as a
subject of a resource. This will reduce the number of search
results he receives and ensure they are more targeted
toward his research topic.
Quick Tip!
Database Hyperlinks
Look for hyperlinked subject terms and author names when
searching library databases. These hyperlinks
provide quick shortcuts to additional articles written by the
linked author or other articles related to the
linked subject term.
Search Operators
Now that you have learned how to conduct different types of
searches, let’s discuss how you can broaden or
narrow them through the use of search operators, words that can
be used in a keyword search to produce a more
focused set of results. Also known as Boolean operators, search
operator terms such as “AND,” “OR,” and
“NOT” can alter and sometimes enhance your results, as
follows.

The word “AND” between two terms requires the return of only
results that contain both terms. If only
one term is contained in a resource, it will not appear in your
search results. Example: “social
networking” AND “society”
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The word “OR” between two terms means either term in a
resource can be returned. Example: “social
networking” OR “social media”
The word “NOT” requires that any resource that includes that
term will not be given in your search
results. Example: “social networking” NOT “social media”
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As technology has evolved, some database vendors have decided
to include search operators next to their search
boxes, so you can select the operator you want instead of typing
it into the search box. This is shown in the
following example.

When using the Google search engine, you no longer need to
use the standard terms “AND” and “NOT.” The
term “AND” is now implied when you type a string of terms
into a Google search box. Google still recognizes
the term “NOT.” However, it also recognizes the minus sign (–)
as indicating “NOT.” Try using the minus sign
in front of search terms you want to exclude from your search,
and Google will search for websites that do not
use those words. For example, if you are looking for
information on things to do in San Diego, but you do not
want to visit SeaWorld, try typing “San Diego” –“SeaWorld”.
You should not include a space between the
minus sign and the opening quotation marks before the name
SeaWorld. Typing this search into a Google search
box will ensure you receive results about San Diego but none
that include information on SeaWorld.
Google still recognizes the term “OR,” and it still functions as
just described. Try using it with synonymous
keywords when conducting background research. Typing San
Diego OR SeaWorld will help you find applicable
websites related to either topic.
Advanced Searching Techniques
Once you get a feel for locating and accessing information in a
digital library, you’ll be ready to explore some
advanced database searching techniques that will help focus and
refine your search results more effectively.
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These tools are simple to use and can make a tremendous impact
on the quality of your search results. An
advanced search contains many different options for broadening
and narrowing your search results. It should be
your preferred way of searching, since it allows you to search
several keywords and phrases at once while also
combining keyword searches with subject, title, and author
searches. Let’s see how Irwin applies advanced
database searching techniques to gather resources for his paper.
A Search for Multiple Concepts
Searching for multiple concepts at once allows you to narrow
your focus and reduce the number of search
results. When you’re conducting this type of search, it’s
important to keep each concept in a separate search box.
Irwin decides to conduct a subject search on “social
networking” and “social media” to find resources that will
help him gain a better understanding of how both topics relate
to each other.
Next Irwin begins to strategically use different combinations of
his keywords as search terms. The librarian
suggested that he keep a list of the keyword combinations he
tries so that he doesn’t lose track of his searches.
He begins by taking a close look at the list of keywords he
brainstormed earlier:
“social networking”
“social media”
society
workplace
Facebook
LinkedIn

Marshall McLuhan
Notice that Irwin crossed off the last keyword, since he
successfully found the information he was looking for
during his author search. After looking closely at how his
keywords relate, he begins structuring his database
searches. He groups the concepts “social media,” Facebook, and
society together. He decides to perform a
search using those terms.
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This search results in over 140,000 matches! This is way too
many for Irwin to search through. He decides to
change Facebook to a subject search and keep “social media”
and society as keywords.
This search gives Irwin just over 5,000 results, which is not yet
manageable. After combing through his search
results, Irwin tries adding the term Facebook back in as a
keyword and moves “social media” to a subject term.
He continues to strategically experiment by performing
different searches using different keywords and subjects.
When Irwin is ready, he updates his list with the search
combinations he has tried and crosses out the keywords
he no longer needs to search with (Table 3.3). After a time, he
ends up completing enough different combinations
of keywords to find the resources he needs to write his paper.
Table 3.3: Irwin’s revised list of keywords and searches

Keywords Search terms
Round 1 “social networking”
“social media”
society
workplace
Facebook
LinkedIn
Marshall McLuhan
“social media”
Facebook
society
“social media”
Facebook—Subject
society
“social media”—Subject
Facebook
society
Facebook
society
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Keywords Search terms
Round 2 “social networking”
“social media”

society
workplace
Facebook
LinkedIn
Marshall McLuhan
LinkedIn
“social networking”—Subject
LinkedIn
workplace
workplace
“social media”—Subject
workplace
LinkedIn
“social media”
LinkedIn
“social media
workplace
Truncation
Another search technique is called truncation. Truncation places
a special symbol at the end of a word to
retrieve all possible endings of that word. To truncate a word
while keyword searching library databases, use the
asterisk (*), which you can enter by pressing Shift and 8 at the
same time. This asterisk notifies the database that
you would like to search for all variations of that of word. For
example, typing ethic* in the search box tells the
database to retrieve items that have the words “ethic,” “ethics,”
“ethical,” or “ethicist.” Or typing instruct* will
bring up “instruct,” “instruction,” and “instructional.”
Wildcard and Truncation Symbols

Critical-Thinking Question
Wildcard and
Truncation
Symbols
From Title:
Effective Internet Search: Basic Tools and Adv...
(https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?
wID=100753&xtid=43788)
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=43788
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1. Perform an Internet search using truncation. What did
you find? Were your search results effective?
Limiters
Another advanced technique for refining your search results is
to use special limiters, options that allow you to
weed out results that may not be useful to your research. For
example, when searching for scholarly information
in a library’s database, you will always want to limit your
results to scholarly/peer reviewed by checking the
appropriate limiter box. In addition, you may also limit your
results by date, type of publication, source of
information (journals, magazines, newspapers, and so on),

subject (which was mentioned earlier), and more. In
many databases, you can find these options on your search
results page.
During their conversation, the librarian showed Irwin the
limiters available, focusing on the scholarly/peer
reviewed and date options. Since Irwin needs at least two
scholarly sources for his assignment, she showed him
how to check the Limit to Scholarly/Peer Reviewed option.
Additionally, since Irwin’s topic was on a type of
technology, she suggested he play with the date range option
and look for articles that had been published within
the past 2 to 3 years. This will ensure Irwin is using the most
current information on his topic. Using these tips,
he was able to successfully complete the searches he conducted
earlier and collect a few articles for his paper.
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Quick Tip!
Refining Your Searching Techniques
If you find yourself struggling with using advanced searching
techniques or even with how to brainstorm
keywords, check out your library’s educational resources. Most
university libraries offer multiple
resources covering a range of topics on how to navigate the
digital library. The following video covers

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advanced search techniques for the EBSCOhost database
specifically:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7-HO19Xxb0
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7-HO19Xxb0) .
The Internet
The Internet consists of interconnected networks of billions of
computers and devices all over the world. These
networked devices have compatible communication standards,
so they can share information with one another.
The Internet can be accessed through a device (computer,
laptop, tablet, smartphone, and so on) that has a
connection to an Internet service provider (ISP) or cellular
service provider. The type of connection provided by
an ISP can greatly affect the speed with which it connects to
websites, opens files, and streams videos. When
signing up for Internet service, you have the option of cable,
digital subscriber line, fiber-optic, or satellite
connections. Spend some time investigating your ISP options
and the type of connection that will work best for
you.
Browser
Information on the Internet can best be accessed through a
browser, a software program that accesses, reads, and
displays information from the Internet. Browsers communicate
with a webpage and display its information in a

clear visual presentation. Here are a few of the most popular
browsers, each of which has a unique set of
features.
Mozilla Firefox for Windows & Mac
(https://www.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/new
(https://www.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/new) )
Microsoft Edge for Windows (https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/edge (https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/edge) )
Google Chrome for Windows & Mac
(https://www.google.com/chrome/
(https://www.google.com/chrome/) )
Safari for Mac (https://www.apple.com/safari/
(https://www.apple.com/safari/) )
Whatever browser you choose, over time you might notice its
effectiveness waning. Websites might not look
quite right and may load more slowly than usual or not at all.
You might notice you’re unable to watch videos or
open PDF files. These could be signs that your browser has
become bogged down. As you surf the Internet, other
sites may be updating to newer versions of software, and
eventually, your browser might not be able to keep up.
Luckily, routine maintenance, such as clearing your cookies and
cache, can keep your browser healthy.
Cookies and Cache
When you’re using the Internet, the websites you visit store
small text files called cookies on your computer. Depending on
the browser you are using, cookies will be stored in different
file
folders on your hard drive. When you revisit a website, these
cookies provide information to the website’s server, such as
details about what you clicked on and any preferences you may
have saved. Tracking cookies can enable a website to send you

targeted ads based on your browsing history, as well as
personalize your search results. This means that two people
searching the same topic might see very different results based
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7-HO19Xxb0
https://www.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/new
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge
https://www.google.com/chrome/
https://www.apple.com/safari/
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Anyaberkut/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Some websites may prompt you to accept
cookies before continuing to explore the
site. Reading the terms and conditions of
the website’s cookies and privacy settings
can be important for protecting your
privacy. And clearing cookies and cache
on your Internet browser may make your
searches faster.
on various factors, including their location and browsing
history.
Although this might sound like an invasion of privacy, cookies
can be useful when you want to log back in to a website without
signing back in or want a site to remember what you put into
your virtual shopping cart. Still, since access to your cookies
could compromise your privacy and skew your search results,
it’s

wise to periodically delete the cookies stored on your computer.
(See the links below to learn how.)
To enhance your experience searching online, your browser will
download the webpages you view and store them in an area of
your computer called the cache (pronounced
cash). By doing this, the browser doesn’t have to retrieve the
files on each return visit. As a result, at times a less
current version of the webpage is displayed or the page does not
come up at all.
Again, if your cache and cookies are not cleared regularly, the
performance of your browser will slow down as it
continues to collect large cookie and cache data files. Clearing
your cache and cookies should be a routine part of
your week, since it can significantly improve the speed and
performance of your browser and protect your
privacy. Consider setting a goal of clearing these files out on
Day 1 of each new week of a course. Also, keep in
mind that clearing your cache and cookies is the first
troubleshooting step you should try when experiencing
difficulties accessing websites online, including your
university’s digital library and its databases. For
instructions on how to clear the cache and cookies from your
browser, click on the corresponding link below.
Microsoft Edge for Windows (https://clear-my-
cache.com/en/windows/microsoft-edge.html
(https://clear-my-cache.com/en/windows/microsoft-edge.html) )
Firefox for Windows & Mac (https://support.mozilla.org/en-
US/kb/how-clear-firefox-cache
(https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-clear-firefox-cache)
)
Safari for Windows & Mac
(https://guides.instructure.com/m/4214/l/334964-how-do-i-
clear-my-

browser-cache-on-a-mac
(https://guides.instructure.com/m/4214/l/334964-how-do-i-
clear-my-browser-cache-
on-a-mac) )
Chrome for Windows & Mac
(https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95582
(https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95582) )
Search Engine
Once you’ve optimized your Internet connection and browser,
consider which search engine you’ll use for your
research. A search engine helps you find the information you’re
looking for on the Internet, and each one will
offer different results and levels of privacy. Examples of
popular search engines include the following.
Google (https://www.google.com (https://www.google.com) )
Yahoo! (https://www.yahoo.com (https://www.yahoo.com) )
Bing (https://www.bing.com (https://www.bing.com) )
Ask (https://www.ask.com (https://www.ask.com) )
Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/
(https://scholar.google.com/) )
OneSearch (https://www.onesearch.com/
(https://www.onesearch.com/) )
DuckDuckGo (https://duckduckgo.com/
(https://duckduckgo.com/) )
All search engines generally search the same way using an
algorithm called natural language searching. Natural
language searching understands meaning and ranks your results
based on the number of search terms that appear
on the webpage. As opposed to when you’re searching on a
database, typing a question in a Google search box
https://clear-my-cache.com/en/windows/microsoft-edge.html
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-clear-firefox-cache

https://guides.instructure.com/m/4214/l/334964-how-do-i-clear-
my-browser-cache-on-a-mac
https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95582
https://www.google.com/
https://www.yahoo.com/
https://www.bing.com/
https://www.ask.com/
https://scholar.google.com/
https://www.onesearch.com/
https://duckduckgo.com/
10/24/2021 Print
901b-cda3ccd63694&np=ch03sec3.3 17/18
usually yields good results. You can also use the search
operators AND, OR, and NOT to further refine your
results. Google also offers additional search operators, some of
which you can see in Table 3.4.
Table 3.4: Google search operators
Operator Example
Search social media: @ @facebook
Search for a price: $ Ford Focus $5,000
Exclude words: – Football –college
Search related websites: related: Related: apastyle.apa.org
Natural language and search operators are not the only ways

that search engines determine which results to give
you. They also use an algorithm that decides which webpages it
thinks you want to see, based on what you have
clicked on in the past. That’s right! Some search engines tr ack
you and monitor what types of webpages you
clicked on from your past search result lists, whereas other
search engines, such as OneSearch and
DuckDuckGo, offer private searching without tracking cookies
or personalizing your searches based on your
browsing history.
Search engine results can sometimes perpetuate harmful
stereotypes, yielding starkly different top search results
based on race and gender. In one study, for example, researcher
Safiya Noble (2013) found that searching on the
phrase “Black girls” using Google yielded results in which
“Black girls are sexualized or pornified in half (50%)
of the first ten results” (p. 1).
Results are also highly influenced by advertising. Noble (2013)
explains that
much of the content surfaced in a web search in a commercial
search engine is linked to paid
advertising, in part, which helps drive it to the top of the page
rank, and searchers are not typically
clear about the distinctions between “real” information and
advertising. (p. 1)
The bottom line is that the search engine you choose will have
an impact on your search results. Therefore, it’s
worthwhile to compare your results for the same search using a
couple of different search engines rather than
simply relying on the one you’re most accustomed to using.
Often students turn to Google because it’s quick and
easy to use, and it provides plenty of results. However, since

anyone can publish on the Internet any type of
information they want, not all Google results will be reliable.
So for academic research, consider trying more
than one search engine. Also bear in mind that much of the
scholarly information you will need for academic
research will not be accessible through popular search engines
such as Google or Google Scholar. Although
scholarly sources may come up as part of your search results,
full-text articles may be hidden behind a paywall.
Subscription to a database or a source’s publishing journal will
likely be required. In such cases search for these
sources via your university’s digital library, which will likely
provide you access. By collecting information from
a variety of sources, including sources in the digital university
library, you’re more likely to gather a well-
rounded selection of material on your research topic.
Section 3.3 Knowledge Check Quiz
1. A university library organizes its materials according to
__________.
A. an online catalog
10/24/2021 Print
901b-cda3ccd63694&np=ch03sec3.3 18/18
B. databases
C. a card catalog
2. In a database keyword search, which of the following is an
example of a truncation?

A. genetic-
B. genetic*
C. genetic. . .
3. To improve the speed and performance of your computer,
clear out your __________ regularly.
A. search engine
B. Flash Player
C. cache and cookies
Answers
1 (B), 2 (B), 3 (C)

List of Wikipedia Stub Articles
Article Name and Link
B.B. King Museum
Sample Subtopics
Who was B.B. King?

How did B.B. King influence music
culture?
Did B.B. King originate the Blues?
Sample Keyword
• “B.B. King”
• "B.B. King" "influence" "music"
• "B.B. King" "blues"
BoardGameGeek What is the structure of
BoardGameGeek?
What is the impact of online ratings?
• BoardGameGeek
• BoardGameGeek, reviews
Board of Education Who serves on a school board?
What is the impact of a school board
on school performance?
Is there a difference between
suburban and rural school boards?
• “school board”, voting
• “school board”, performance
• “school board”, rural
Career Development What is career development?

How should college students utilize
career development?
• “Career Development”, planning
• “College Student Career
Development”
Chocolate Brownie What are the nutritional elements of
a chocolate brownie?
What are the ingredients for a
chocolate brownie?
• "nutrition" "chocolate brownie"
• "ingredients" "chocolate
brownie"
• "allergies" "chocolate brownie"
What types of allergies are made
worse by eating chocolate brownies?
Day School What is the difference between
students in day school vs boarding
school?
What is the impact of full day school?
What is the impact of the four-day
school week?
• “Day school" boarding

• “Day school" impact
• "four-day school" student
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.B._King_Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BoardGameGeek
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_education
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career_development
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_brownie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_school

Article Name and Link Sample Subtopics Sample Keyword
Golden parachute What are ethical issues related to
golden parachutes?
How do golden parachutes affect
shareholder earnings?
• “golden parachute” ethics
• “golden parachute” dividend
Management Management v. leadership—the
same or different?
Managing virtual teams/work from
home employees
• management leadership
• management “virtual teams”
Net Worth Does net worth relate to health?
Does net worth relate to happiness?

• "net worth" health
• "net worth" happiness
Retail Clerk Job Satisfaction in Customer Service
Industry
Customer Service Representative
Impact on Customers
• "customer service
representative"
representative", job satisfaction
representative", customer
impact
Social engagement Social engagement and student
retention
Social engagement and marketing
• “social engagement” student
retention
• “social engagement” marketing
• “social engagement”
advertising
Social Services What are the types of social services?
What is the impact of social services?

• "Types of Social Services"
• "Impact of Social Services"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_parachute
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_worth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retail_clerk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_engagement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_servicesList of Wikipedia
Stub Articles
Week 1: Assignment Template
Your name: Click or tap here to enter text.
Date: Click or tap here to enter text.
Directions: Choose your topic from the List of Wikipedia Stub
Articles. You may choose any one of the listed topics that you
find interesting. Complete the all parts of this template, then
save it to your computer with a new file name. Don’t forget to
upload it to Waypoint for grading.
State the title of the Wikipedia stub article you would like to
expand: Click or tap here to enter text.
Explain what interests you about this stub article:Click or tap
here to enter text.
Share two additional subtopics that you would like to expand:
Subtopic 1: Click or tap here to enter text.
Explain why you chose to explore subtopic 1Click or tap here to
enter text.
State the first specific question you would like to answer about

subtopic 1Click or tap here to enter text.
State the second specific question you would like to answer
about subtopic 1Click or tap here to enter text.
Share what information you may need to find to answer each of
the questions you entered aboveClick or tap here to enter text.
Subtopic 2: Click or tap here to enter text.
Explain why you chose to explore subtopic 2Click or tap here to
enter text.
State the first specific question you would like to answer about
subtopic 2Click or tap here to enter text.
State the second specific question you would like to answer
about subtopic 2Click or tap here to enter text.
Share what information you may need to find to answer each of
the questions you entered aboveClick or tap here to enter text.
Identify at least three keywords for each subtopic that might
help you find the information you need:
Subtopic 1
Subtopic 2
1. Click or tap here to enter text.

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