Search Tips

Here are search tips specific to news reporting or journalism.

1. Search engines
With all the search engines out there, it can be tough to decide which one to use. There are, however, some questions you can ask yourself which may help you choose the right one. What are you looking for? Are you searching or researching? How do you want your results organized?

General search engines like Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com and AskJeeves http://www.ask.com are easy to use and cater to the masses. Even someone with limited skills can do basic searching with either of these. In my opinion, Dogpile http://www.dogpile.com and WebCrawler http://www.webcrawler.com are even better because they search multiple engines and combine the results. For example, some people may use two search engines like Yahoo and MSN to see if they get different results for a keyword or query. Using a metasearch engine like Dogpile cuts out a step. Also try Metacrawler http://www.metacrawler.com/. It's like being in a shoe store. So many choices. Just keep trying them on until you find one that fits. Note: for info on Clusty, INFOMINE, and more see the tools section.

2. Advanced search/Boolean
Boolean is difficult for many people and can easily get botched leading to results you don't want. Keep these tips in mind when attempting Boolean: AND essentially means ALL. When the search applies this operator to a query, it looks for pages that has all of the search terms appearing somewhere on the page. OR means ANY. It looks for pages that have any of the search terms on the page. NOT means NONE and looks for pages without the search term.

3. Domain searching
Searching for a specific domain will save you time and effort. As you know, certain domains are more reliable than others; domains are basically requirements or restrictions for a certain industry. Only organizations can use the .org domain, .gov is reserved for the government, and so forth. The most accurate domains are .gov, .mil (military), .pro (credentialed professionals), and .edu (accredited education). Be careful when using .com or .net for primary sources. These domains are open to any individual or organization.

4. Date searching
Sometimes you may need old information or info that has been modified in the last month or year. Again, most search engines and databases will allow you to filter or do an advanced search in a specific date range. This is a far cry from the old days of poring over stacks of papers or books looking for a needle in a haystack.

5. Language searching
Most good search engines will allow you to limit your search by language or country. A translation tool may also be available; if not, you can cut and paste text into a translator like AltaVista Babel Fish Translation http://babelfish.altavista.com/. The translation may not be perfect, but it could still prove helpful. Essayez-le! Versuchen Sie es! Inténtelo!

6. Image searching
Do I need to say it? A picture is worth a thousand words. Every picture is unique, and assuming the pic is real, what you see cannot easily be disputed. Images on the Web are generally found in two formats: GIF (.gif) and JPEG (.jpg). Understanding these formats can actually help you improve your search results. GIFs are normally used for simple illustrations like banners and buttons; they use limited colors and are usually compressed into smaller files that can be downloaded quickly. JPEGs are commonly used for photos and more complex artwork that require a more extensive color palette or variety in resolution.

Yahoo has an image finder as well as AltaVista http://www.altavista.com. If you haven't used AltaVista in a while, check out their image finder at http://www.altavista.com/image/default. Another image locator is Ditto http://www.ditto.com, which provides a visual search of the Web. Users are linked to the originating web site on which the pictures are located. I also like the New York Public Library Digital Gallery http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm, which has free and open online access to thousands of digital images including digitized manuscripts and rare items like historical maps.

If you're looking for video, Footage.net http://www.footage.net/ has current and archived news footage, which a journalist could find extremely helpful. Like photos, what you find in a video is hard to dispute. It proves who was there and what was said. You can also go straight to CNN and use their service at http://www.cnnimagesource.com/CNIS/index.html. Transcripts and tapes from CNN are also available, which can prove really useful for finding quotes or verifying facts.

7. File format
Some search engines (and databases) will allow you to use a file format filter or search for files that are (or are not) in a specific format; some examples being Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), Microsoft Word (.doc), or Excel (.xls). If for some reason .pdf files lock up your PC, then you might want to avoid those. This filter would help you do that.

8. Searching within databases
Databases are essential to a researcher. They can be your best friend. Useful for a variety of reasons, but mainly for scholarly and academic research, databases are packed full of information on just about anything you can think of. Why are databases better than search engines? First of all, there is a lot you can't find via Yahoo that you CAN find via ProQuest or EbscoHost (see Tools section). Databases contain info that comes from reputable sources and is published and monitored by professionals. Most databases have abstracts and full-text articles as well as advanced searching and print/save/email features.

9. Verification/Validity
If you can't believe everything you read in print (and you shouldn't), you'll need to be even more wary of online materials. Web based content is even more varied, and one of the advantages AND disadvantages is the speed of publishing. ANYONE can become a Web author, and most information (unless part of a database or encyclopedia) is rarely monitored for correctness. You'll need to cross reference information, check fact checkers or stats when applicable, and (get ready for this one)....you may actually have to pull yourself away from your computer, climb out from under that mountain of paperwork, and make a phone call or possibly even SPEAK TO SOMEONE IN PERSON. YIKES!!! ;)

10. Toolbars
Most search engine toolbars offer similar features: pop up blocking, highlighting, specialized searcing, etc. AskJeeves http://www.ask.com, Dogpile http://www.dogpile.com, and MSN http://www.msn.com have fairly good toolbars. Choose the one that works for you. Ask Jeeves features a Smart Search for news, definitions, and weather. Dopile (my fave) has yellow/white pages, a ticker, and RSS. MSN and Yahoo have links to their services like mail and messenger programs.

11. Web monitoring
Web monitoring is new for me; if you are experiencing information overload, this will add to it...but as journalists and writers, aren't we destined for IO anyway? Website monitoring allows you to keep up with changes to your favorite websites or blogs; that way, you don't have to constantly check them all. Good monitoring services (though they may cost a little for expanded features) are Website-Watcher http://www.aignes.com/, TrackEngine http://www.aignes.com/ (also works with bookmarks), and Mark Alert http://www.whois.sc/mark-alert/ (which alerts you if someone uses your word in a new or expiring domain name).

12. Personal interaction
Dealing with people, no matter how difficult that may be, is sometimes necessary. Call someone to get info firsthand or set up an interview so that you can see that person face-to-face. Although this takes time and isn't always the most convenient way to obtain info, it provides a little extra: tone, expression, and other non-verbal communication. This in itself is sometimes priceless.