In these days of ‘information overload’ everyone knows how to type words into Google (I almost wrote ‘a search engine’ but for most of you the primary-coloured, OED-recognised engine is the default) and pull up squillions of results.
Most people (a staggering 99.37%!) don’t look past the first page of results and some people are unaware that they could be getting better results by using simple information literacy skills to boost their search.
The trick is to know what you’re looking for and then fit the search strategy to your information needs.
If you just want some ‘headline’ information or to pull up the Wikipedia page or a company website then fair enough, type a couple keywords into Google and you’ll find roughly what you need.
But what if you have more specific needs and aren’t sure what to type into that little box?
If you’re looking for a specific document (ie a journal article, policy paper etc) then try using an “exact phrase” search – it cuts out the white noise of irrelevant results – those wee quote marks do save you time.
When using a specific database (academic journals for example) it can be worth finding out if the search function on it has any particular quirks. Wildcard searching using an asterisk and obeying basic Boolean logic can help you when the search function isn’t quite as intuitive as you’d like. This PubMed tutorial from the US National Library of Medicine is a good introduction.
The one thing I’d recommend, which surprisingly few people I have spoken to actually use, is the function on Google which allows you to search within one specified site.
Often local and national government sites can be designed for people who work within ‘the system’ and not for a casual user and so the search function on the site itself is not exactly brilliant.
Simply type ‘site:’ then without a space, type the www that you want to search, then type your keywords inand press return. Like this:
site:www.thisismadeup.scot search terms yada yada
Here’s an example using the Scottish Government site. Saves time and frustration when staring at meaningless or non-existent search results brought back by a rubbish on-site search function.
Anyway, I hope you all find what you’re looking for eventually, even if it involves self-indulgent, overblown stadium rock. The best kind of stadium rock.