Research Resource: The Tao of Search

Research Resource: The Tao of Search
by
Sandra Chevalier-Batik

This is the ninth in a series of articles exploring on-line sources and search strategies for writers. This month, the writer's guide to understanding search engines is featured.

The Tao of Search

Over the past several months I've received a number of e-mails asking questions about how to develop specific search strategies or requesting an explanation of technical and research terms. As writers, we revere vocabulary so we'll start with clarifications of terms. Next month, we'll examine specific search strategies and review features of the top 10 search engines and directories with tips and tricks to get the best results.

When searching, what you are really trying to do is describe to the search engine the results you want grouped together by specifying what you what included and excluded from your search. Boolean Logic is a standard nomenclature for describing what you want.

There are four words used to create a Boolean search. These are 'And','Or', 'Not', and 'With', and are referred to as Boolean Operators.

If you simply list keywords, most systems use an 'implied Or'. For example typing 'rodeo cowboy' in a search line is the same as 'rodeo OR cowboy'. The search is considered successful if it finds either word in a document. If you want both words (or a whole list of words) to be referenced in the search, use the 'And' connector. Here, 'Fire AND truck' required that both words be present, but order is not important, so, a result with 'truck fire' is considered a successful retrieval. If word order is important the 'With' operator is used. Many search engines do not explicitly recognize 'With' but use it's implied form, which is called a 'phase'. Phases are entered by enclosing one, or more words, in double quotes. The search phase "heart attack" requires both words be present and together in that exact order. "Not" is the operator that when used eliminates records containing that term, such as "Greyhounds NOT buses"

Using Parentheses ( ) or Nesting is a process available in search engines that offer full Boolean search capabilities. A query using the full range of Boolean functions would be "greyhounds" AND (breeding OR racing) NOT buses"

Truncation - this oldie but goodie information retrieval strategy lets the searcher use only the stem or root of the word. Truncation is usually specified using an asterisk. In some search engines, book* would retrieve book, books, bookseller, etc. Truncation is particularly helpful if you are not sure of the correct spelling.

One last word about the idiosyncratic behavior of search engines. In some cases the use of the Boolean operators, 'AND','OR', 'NOT' AND 'BUT NOT' will supersede the engines native retrieval functions, while +word and -word usually will work within the search engines capabilities.

What Makes up a Search Engine?

A search engine is comprised of four functions:
§ The engine's 'spiders' that go out and find web sites and pages
§ An indexing program that catalogs the data the spiders retrieve in addition to the sites that directly submitted by web site developers.
§ The retrieval engine the custom programming which retrieve material from the index based on user requests
§ The graphical interface, the methodology which gathers the user query information and sends the data to the retrieval engine.

In the past year "add-ons" have become the fifth component of most search engines. In their race to become a Web Portal - the all things to all people approach - search engines and directories have added numerous and sometimes annoying features or services. A Web Portal is a primary entry point to the Net. Search Engine developers believe adding this plethora of services will attract additional users (that be you) to their site. Personally, I get cranky if all the additional, but not search related, graphics slow my down load time.

What is the Difference between a Directory and a Search Engine?

To understand the difference we first have to define searching and browsing. Searching - a user enters specific criteria and the program searches its database to identify and retrieve records that match.
Browsing - the user scans an organized listing (alpha or classification) by going through levels or tiers of data to identify items of interest.

Directories are browsed; search engines and databases are searched. Yahoo! Is the most prominent example of a service that has integrated the search and directory functions. Yahoo! was originally designed as a directory and has added search features as it developed into a popular web portal.

Additional search engine URLs and other resources not listed here are located on my web site: http://www.pleiadespublishing.com/research/Searchengines.html

Sandra Chevalier-Batik is senior researcher and technical writer for Pleiades Publishing Services. She develops content and information design for web sites and corporate communications.