Internet Research - Search Skills

Search Skills

Part of the skill set for using internet research with finesse involves adding the Boolean search terms Not (-) and OR (|) to search engine queries. “Advanced internet searching” is a term that organizations like Monash University quoted below use to describe the learning of Boolean terms and the choosing of appropriate search tool.

Quality on the internet is more than a ‘difficulty’ with specific search techniques having evolved to assist us to reveal the quality of information found online. The use of context searching (using the inurl: field search) and the retrieval of endorsements (using primarily the link field search but with other options) reveals much of the information we need to make a better quality assessment. A familiarity with context and endorsement searching is thus an internet research skill that lies beyond “advanced internet searching”.

Once we recognize search tool bias and the superficial anonymity of internet information, we open the door to further search skills that personalize and sharpen the focus of our searching. Deep Url interpretation and a recognition of format can counter some of the initial anonymity. Context searching can also assist here. There is also a skill in evolving a search question as we repeatedly make requests of search engines and as we grow more familiar with a topic and how it is organized.

Since internet information – particularly of a certain quality or standard – can be organized in other ways besides word choice and prominence (as attended by global search engines), some information may require further search skills to retrieve. A familiarity with midpoints like directories, ‘invisible’ databases and an attentiveness to further types of organization may reveal the key to finding missing information. A thesaurus, for example, may prove critical to connecting information organized under the business term “staff loyalty” to information addressing the preferred nursing term “personnel loyalty” (MeSH entry for Medline by the National Library of Medicine). This may only come to light by noticing the absence of nursing-related research when collecting “staff loyalty” related material. Experience noticing the volume of information (particularly by repeatedly searching in a precise manner) and looking for gaps in collections of information can help overcome this.

As the volume of internet information continues to rise, emerging search skills like link companion searches and triangulation as well knowledge of as well-established tools like regional search engines will be needed to retrieve information unlikely to reach the attention of those who depend on search engine ranking to reveal relevant information. This situation calls into question what constitutes an internet search - particularly how it is different from a search engine offering an internet recommendation - and the meaning and difficulties in searching the internet comprehensively.