6.3: Create and implement a complex search strategy

Table of Contents

1. Designing a complex search strategy
   1. Locating a piece of specific information
   2. Retrieving everything on a topic
   3. Useful Search Techniques
   4. More useful search techniques
2. Reviewing search terms in the light of results - broader/narrower/related terms
3. Collection and presentation of results

Locating a piece of specific information

What makes the search complex is that this information is not easy to find. For this type of search, you are likely to use one or more search engines. The skill lies in choosing your search terms and combining these into a search statement which will yield the required results.

Alternatively, you may know of an authoritative site on which this information will definitely be found. In this case, you will use the URL of the site and then carry out a search within that site for the required information. You should bookmark sites which you find especially useful. You can arrange these in your "Favourites" in topic related folders.

Now let's look at Retrieving everything on a topic