Before+You+Search

=__**Before you search:**__ =

__**Ask yourself:**__

 __**What information am I searching for exactly?**__  Do I know the lingo? (Use encyclopedia or wiki to gain background knowledge or use define:)  Am I confused about topic? (Read Wikipedia article or other article on topic first)  Is my topic too broad? (Use Carrot or Surf Wax to help you narrow your topic)  Do I want to answer a factual question?  Do I need information about a person or place?  Am I looking for resources?  Am I looking for academic information or general information?

 __**What key words fit my topic?**__  Do any of my key words have multiple meanings? (Consider using Duck, Duck, Go)  Use a Thesaurus!  Which words are the most important? Word order makes a difference!!  What words MUST be on the page I am looking for? (use +, AND, “” )  What words WOULD NOT be on the page I am looking for? (use NOT, -)

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> __**Does the date of the resources matter?**__ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> Am I looking for current information? (use advanced search, specify date) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> Am I looking for older information?

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> __**Am I looking for a specific type of document?**__ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> PDF, DOC, SPREADSHEET etc. (use advanced search, filetype:) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> Images, clip art, photos (use google images, etc)

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> __**What Search Engine Should I use?**__ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> Pick the search engine that will get you the information you need. If the information you are looking for is very specific or specialized consider searching for database on the subject and then performing your search on the database website.