Page 1

All About Searching

Page 2

Boolean Logic

•How many results do you think you’ll get if you search for spotty dogs? Try it here.

•Use quotation marks where you want to find keywords next to each other, e.g. “spotty dogs”. Try it here.

• To broaden your search you can use OR, e.g. “spotty dogs” or Dalmatian. Try it here.

•To exclude results from your search you can use NOT, e.g. “spotty dogs” NOT Dalmatian. Try it here.

•To narrow your search you can use AND, e.g. “spotty dogs” AND Dalmatian. Try it here.

•To narrow a search down even further you can use NEAR, e.g. “spotty dogs” NEAR Dalmatian. Try it here.

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Search Engine vs. Directory

•Search engines let you type in a keyword search, e.g. Bing, Quintura, Ask Kids, Yahoo Kids, AOL Search

•Search engines are best if you are looking for something specific, e.g. if you are researching Dalmatian Dogs.

•Directories use a subject index to help you find information, e.g. dmoz, KidsClick, Awesome Library, CyberSleuth Kids, Dibdabdoo

•Directories are best if you are not quite certain what you are looking for, e.g. if you are researching dogs and need to choose which breed.