You will have different search results depending on how you build up your search query. It is critically important to creat a proper query to find relevant resources and to save research time. Because search engines use different search mechanism, the instruction explains the basic method of query building based on Google search engine.
1) Use
+ when you must include terms:
history +church (
+ functions like
AND boolean. + is implied as default in Google, so that you can just write:
history church)
2) Use
- when you must exclude terms:
history -Europe
3) Use
OR (capital) to find any term:
theology OR religion
4) Use
" " to find a phrase:
"Chicago City Mission Society"
5) Common words will be dropped. Find the difference.
Who is Derrida
"Who is Derrida"
(Common words include prepositions (of, to, in, etc) and interrogatives (who, where, how, etc).
6) You can find terms in a specific website:
admisison site:www.ctschicago.edu
7) You can find the definition of a term or a phrase.
define: LGBT
When you use internet resources for your research, it is important to critically evaluate online resources. Some evaluation stardards are:
- Authority - who is author and publisher?
- Accuracy - points of view vs. facts
- Currency - is it dated regularly?
