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MORE SEARCH TIPS
POWER SEARCH
USING MULTIPLE
WORDS, PHRASES AND OPERATORS
1.
You may need multiple words to phrase a specific search. You can use as
many words as you need to make the term specific. When you use multiple
words, you may need operators to control the way a search tool works with these
words.
2.
Operators: qualifiers (and,
or, not).
Operators are used to tell the search tool or engine how to handle the
multiple word search terms. This is often described as Boolean logic.
a.
And - When you use "and"
between words in a search term, you tell the search engine to find only those
pages that contain both of the words. Pages that contain only one of the words
are not included in the hit list.
b.
Or - When you use "or"
between words in a search term, you tell the search engine to find all pages
that contain either of the words. Pages that contain one or both word will
be included in the hit list.
c.
Not - When you use "not"
between words in a search term, you tell the search engine to find all pages
that contain the word before not, then to remove from the hit list any items
that also contain the word following not.
Before
using operators in search terms, check out the options or instructions area of
the search tool you intend to use. Most search tools support and, or, and
not, but some have their own little quirks about how you must go about it, like
using a "+"
instead of "and"
(Alta Vista and Excite).
3.
Another powerful way to use multiple words is to do an exact phrase match which
most search engines support. You surround the multiword term with
quotation marks: "Internet Guide". With this method, the
hit list will be only those pages that match the exact phrase, and will be more
targeted.
4.
When you use multiple words and don't include operators, most search engines
assume you mean to put an and between words. (See, you are using operators
even if you don't know it.) Some engines will apply and first, then use
or. The and hits go at the top of the hit list, and the or hits go to the
bottom, as low-confidence hits.
NOW,
GO AND SEARCH WITH CONFIDENCE!
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