Becky uses the Internet to research her essay. She finds it a useful research tool to provide information on health clubs.
When you use the Internet, you don't need to know exact web addresses. The best way to find sites that contain relevant information is to use a search engine.
 Search engines are websites that allow you to search the Internet by specifying the subject matter you are looking for. They provide the following information on individual websites:
- The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or address
- A summary of what the website is about
- A title for the website
You'll find more information on search engines at the BBC Ask Bruce website.
Search EnginesUsing a search engine is easy. You'll see a search box where you can type in the subject you want information on. The search engine will return any relevant sites containing the words you typed in. This is a general search. You can be more specific by using Boolean operators. These are special terms that can narrow down your search. This list will explain a few of the basic Boolean operators that Becky used: | Boolean operators | The result | "health clubs"
Putting speech marks before and after text instructs the search engine to search for the exact term. | A list of websites that contain the exact phrase within the speech marks. | Using & or +
For example, gym & swimming | A list of websites containing both the words gym AND swimming. | Using -
For example, health - swimming | A list of websites containing the word gym, but NOT the word swimming. | Using |
For example, health | swimming | A list of websites containing the words health OR the word swimming. |
Take Care!The Internet is an ideal research tool. It makes it simple to find a vast amount of information very quickly. However, you should always try to make sure that the information you use comes from reliable sources. Some of the pitfalls of unreliable sources include: - The information provided may be based on opinion rather than fact;
- The information may not be true;
- The information may be biased;
- The information may be misleading.
Official sites, government sites and academic or professional sites are good sources of information. Go on to find out more about using questionnaires.
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