1.2 Create a search strategy to fully satisfy the client's enquiry

Table of Contents

1. Choosing search terms
2. Structuring an Internet search
3. Using portals
4. Using bibliographic databases
5. Frequently-used websites
6. Website suffixes
   1. Geographical suffixes

Website suffixes

When you are looking at websites, it is useful have an understanding of implications of the common suffixes used in the addresses for websites (called URLs). Some suffixes give a clue about the nature of the organisation which owns the website. Note, however, that for some suffixes there is no absolute fixed rule for their use. Thus you would find that gov.uk always indicates a local or national government site in the UK. By contrast, although .org suggests a non profit-making organisation, there is no guarantee that this applies to every .org website.

Here is a list of common organisational suffixes and their meanings.

.ac Academic

.biz Business

.co Commercial

.com Commercial

.edu Educational

.gov Local or National Government

.int International

.net Network

.org Non profit making

Let's take a look at a different kind of suffixes, Geographical suffixes...