Navigating the Internet to find the exact information you are looking for can be difficult if you don't know where to find it. With billions of Web sites to browse through, one may never find the piece of information one looks for. That is why we have search engines. They are great to find what you are looking for. Just type what you want to find in the search box and you get your information. Easy, right?Sadly, sometimes things aren't that simple.
Say you are writing a research paper and are looking for sources. Wikipedia is not a source, yet whenever you search for information that is all you get. There are easier ways to narrow your search to find the exact information you are looking for.
The most popular search engine out there, Google, has neat tips to help you narrow your search to find better results.
Google Search Basics helps you define what words to use in your search. Know that every word matters when you type them into the search box. Try to envision the Web site you are looking for and then guess what words would be sued for that site.
In Google's More Help section you can find out what symbols you can put in to the search box to help narrow the search results. These symbols include quotes, brackets and minus.
And to find a specific area of search, you can head to Google's Explore section which includes movie times, weather reports and unit conversions.
But if you are looking for safe and reliable sources to go with any papers you are writing, UF's Library Database is the best there is with excellent databases such as Lexis Nexis, Access World Bank and JStor.
Best of luck on your information search on the Web and remember, whatever you're looking for is out there somewhere. It just takes some time to find it.
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