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Online Search
The need to locate electronic information has been around since the
invention of electronic computing. After the Internet was made
available to the public in 1990, this need started to become bigger as
the amount of information available online increased. Today, in what
is being called The Information Age, the ability to search for
information in the Internet has become one of the most useful skills.

Web Search Engines

The majority of online searches today are done using web search
engines. A web search engines is a single program or a system of
programs designed to look for information in the Internet based on the
user’s search requirements. The most popular examples of web search
engines are Google, Bing, Yahoo and Ask.

In this chapter we will be exploring Google, currently the most popular

search engine which hosts 69.89% of all online searches as of May
2016 (source: netmarketshare.com)

Basic Search

The most common way of making a web search is by using keywords.

To start searching using Google, go to google.com using your web
browser. You will be taken to Google’s main page, which varies from
country to country. In the Philippines, for example, it is
google.com.ph.

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Another way to start an online search is to use your web browser’s

search feature. Popular browsers have a search feature in which they
connect to a particular search engine whenever the user types
keywords in their address bar or search bar. You will have to go to
your browser’s settings in order to choose which search engine your
browser connects to. Here are the most commonly used web browsers
and how to use their search features.

Google Chrome

For obvious reasons, Google Chrome connects to Google Search by

default. To do a web search:
1. Open Google Chrome
2. Type a keyword in the Address Bar
3. Next, you can either:
a. Press the Enter button
OR
b. Click one of the suggestions that appear below your
keyword(s)

4. You will be directed to the Google search results page. From

there you can choose from several search results.

Tip: Most mouse wheels can be pressed just like a button. Clicking
on a search result using the mouse wheel will open the link in a
new tab. Do this to open several results at once.

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Mozilla Firefox

You can search using Mozilla Firefox by entering your keyword in

either the address bar or the search bar (located in the upper right side
right beside the address bar)

If using the address bar:

1. Type your search keyword(s) in the address bar
2. Press the Enter button

If using the search bar:

1. Type your search keyword(s) in the search bar
2. You can either:
a. Press the Enter button
b. Click the arrow button beside the text box
c. Click one of the suggestions that appear below your
keyword(s)

Safari

Apple’s Safari web browser’s address bar also doubles as the search
bar. Simply type your search keyword(s) in the address bar and press
Enter or click one of the suggested results.

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Tips on conducting online research

(Source RBS Empowerment Technologies, First Edition 2016)
1. Have a question in mind.
First of all, think of a question and make it your goal to find the
answer to it. You do not necessarily have to type the whole
question in the search engine. Just keep your qestion in mind as
a guide to your search.

2. Narrow it down.
Keep your queries specific. For example, if your are searching
for instructions on how to use Adobe Photoshop, you can type
“adobe photoshop instructions” or “how to photoshop”
otherwise, if you just search for “photoshop”, you will end up
be shown a wide range of results such as sites selling the
software, its official website and its social media accounts.

3. Advanced Search
The most pospular search engines such as Yahoo, Bing and
Goodle have advanced search features in which you can make
complex searches. Using advanced search, you can use
multiple keywords and entire phrases and narrow down your
search by selecting language, region, date, and file type.

Google Advanced Search

To use Google’s advanced search feature:
1. Go to the web address.
Website: https://www.google.com/advanced_search
Images: http://www.google.com/advanced_image_search
2. Enter your search terms in the “Find pages with...” section.
3. Use the filters in “Then narrow your results by...” section.
4. Click the Advanced Search button

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4. Look for a credible source.

It is important to determine whether the source of the
information is credible or not. Because the Internet is the
biggest source of information in the world, some of this
information is not always accurate or updated. Here are some
factors to consider:
a. The author. Does the article say who the author is? If so,
you can do a little background check on him/her to know if
he/she is a credible writer.

b. The article’s purpose. Why was the article written? Was it

written to share information or does it have a different
agenda? Some articles may have been written as a
promotion for a product or service. For example, an article
may look like a guide on how to repair your computer but
are actually promotional material for a store that sells
computer parts. Look for signs of commercial interest such
as mentioning brand names or recommending specific
products.

c. Publication date. Knowing the article’s publication date is

important especially if you are searching for fast-changing
matters such as statistics, technology, and current events.
An old article may have been accurate back when it was
published but it may already be outdated by time you read
it.

d. Top-level domain. The TLD is a segment of the domain

name. Identifying it can give you a lot about the website
that you are visiting. Here are the most common TLD’s:

 .com
Derived from the word commercial, .com was initially
created for business entities. Today, it is the most common
TLD and can be used by anyone.

Can I trust it?

Because .com websites are the most common in the
Internet, it falls on you, the user, to determing whether the
information found in these sites can be trusted.

 .net
From the word network, .net was originally intended for
networks such as internet service providers. This
restriction was not strictly enforced and .net became a

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common TLD but it is still preferred by network-related

entities.

Can I trust it?

Like .com, .net websites can now be purchased and used
by anyone. Exercise caution when using information from
these sites.

 .org
Short for organization, this TLD was intended for non-
profit entities such as online communities, open-source
(non-commercial) projects and non-profit organizations.

Can I trust it?

The .org domain is popular among non profit organizations
so it can be a good source of non-commercial information.
However, being a .org website does not guarantee
information integrity or quality.

Wikipedia, the most popular .org website, is an open-

source encyclopedia. This means that the information in
this website can be edited by anyone. While Wikipedia is
still a good source of general information, it is not
normally accepted as a valid source for formal and
important matters such as school, science and health.
However, Wikipedia and other open-source websites
usually provide a list of references at the end of their
articles. Explore these lists to see if the articles have
reliable sources.

 .gov
Derived from government, .gov is restricted to government
entities.

Can I trust it?

Yes. These websites are good sources of information because
they are from government institutions that oversee their
particular fields. For example, http://www.doh.gov.ph/ is the
official website of the Department of Health which oversees all
the matters of public health in the country. Websites like these
are a great source of official information such as policies,
bulletins, and advisories.

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 .info
The name for this TLD is derived from the word information.
However, it is similar to .com and .net in the sense that it can be
used by anyone

Can I trust it?

Although the name itself sounds official and trustworthy, .info
websites are not guaranteed to provide credible information.
Exercise the same caution as you do for .com and .net websites
when searching these sites for information.

 .edu
Derived from the word education, this TLD is reserved for
education-related institutions.

Can I trust it?

Websites that use .edu domains are almost always the
official websites of the educational institutions that they
represent. They are a good source of official information
about these schools and universities.

5. Give credit
Giving credit to the source of the information that you use is
important because of these particular reasons:

 To avoid plagiarism
 It gives credibility to the information
 It is a sign of respect to the author

To properly cite an online source you have to mention the

following:

 The name of the author or the organization that owns that

article
 The title of the article
 The article’s address or URL
 Date when you last viewed the article

Examples:

“Goldfish Care: How to take care of goldfish.” The Goldfish Tank.

http://thegoldfishtank.com/how-to-take-care-of-goldfish/. Viewed on
June 10, 2016.

Lesa Snider. “Edit your first photo in Photoshop”. Adobe Support.

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https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/how-to/photo-editor.html. Viewed
on June 10, 2016.