Conducting Research on the Internet


People use the internet as a means of finding and applying jobs as well just looking at their favorite websites. They also research topics and ideas to find even more information on a subject. It’s important to keep in mind that the internet is a self-publishing medium, which means that anyone can post on a new idea or topic and even make themselves look like an expert when they’re nowhere close. Work at home careers would be nothing without the internet.

How to Find Information on the Internet

Finding information online is easy because of the sheer number of different websites. Some users find information by taking part in an online discussion group or newsgroup, which lets them discuss topics with others in their field. They can also look at the deep or hidden Web, the websites that aren’t archived in regular search engines, but are found in live search engines.

Another way of finding more information involves going directly to a website based on its address, provided that the user knows the address. They can also try browsing for pages relating to their topic or use a subject directory. A subject directory lists resources and websites relating to a specific topic such as history or medicine. They’re beneficial if the user has a specific topic they need to research. Using a search engine is yet another option because it bases results on the specific keywords entered by the researcher.


Search Engines - How to Formulate Queries

The first step in formulating a search query involves identifying the main idea. Until the person has an idea in mind, they can’t perform the necessary research. Once they have a topic, they can make a list of the keywords relating to their ideas. Then it’s a matter of using logical relationships based on those keywords. For example someone writing on the movies of San Francisco might look for San Francisco AND movie locations to find articles that contain all the keywords.


Tips on Conducting Searches

Using quotation marks are an excellent way to limit searches, especially if users are looking for a specific phrase. Placing quotation marks around a phrase or keyword reduces the search engine results to only those pages that include the exact phrase. The - key is also helpful because it eliminates certain pages. Someone looking for architecture, but not architects can search for architecture -architects and eliminate any results that mention the word architects.

They can also use define: before a word to get a specific definition relating to a word. It’s also helpful to use a web crawler. A web crawler works by gathering results from all of the popular search engines at one time. It’s a better option than checking each one separately and it guarantees a large number of resources. Web crawlers also reduce the number of duplicate or similar pages.


Finding information online is a lot easier than some might think. There are a variety of ways to go about performing a search and then finding solid resources. With the rise in internet users, the amount of information online will only continue to grow in the future.