We are lucky to live in the information age. You don't have to flip through mountains of books or search for knowledgeable people to find the information you need - you just have to type a few words in your browser's search bar.
Even if you need help with your college papers, you can easily google "I need WritingAPaper writers to write a paper for me" and get professional assistance with your assignments. The Internet lets you investigate and learn anything you want. All you need to know is how to ask the right questions.
Here's a guide to finding information on the Internet.
Formulate your request clearly
First of all, you need to understand: what do we want to know? Formulating the subject as narrowly as possible and asking the most specific question is necessary.
For example, if you search for "Tesla," Google will give you information about the scientist and the brand of the car. The query "Nikola Tesla" will show all the information about the famous physicist. And "Nikola Tesla's inventions" will answer a specific question: what contribution to science he made?
If you can't find the information you need on the first try, don't despair. Look carefully at the headings in the output and try to understand how to reformulate the query so that the search engine understands you. Perhaps synonyms or a couple of qualifying words will help. As you type, the prompts in the search box can also suggest how to make your query more accurate.
It is essential to understand that asking a search engine is not the same as asking a person. Neural networks are getting better at understanding people: lowercase and uppercase letters, layout language, typos, and spelling mistakes are no longer a problem. But for the output to be relevant to the purpose, it is necessary to choose the keywords correctly.
Dig Deeper
The site's position in extradition often depends not on the content but on how much money its owner has spent on advertising and search engine optimization. It is believed that the most valuable and comprehensive information always falls on the first lines of search engines. So do not be lazy to look at the second or even third page - perhaps you will find more detailed and relevant information there.
In addition, do not be limited to a single search engine. Google works well, but you should try to use different algorithms. What one search engine doesn't find, the other will.
Use search syntax
You can make your task easier by using special characters or commands in your queries. There are a lot of them - let's list only those that will help you solve everyday problems:
- If you know exactly what you are looking for, use " " (quotation marks). Your results will only show sites with the words in the order and form you typed in your query. This is the best way to search for poems and quotes.
- If you have forgotten one or two words in the quote, replace them with an * (asterisk), and the system will most likely understand you.
- If you want to find a text from which you remember only a few words, use the command allintext:. The search engine will show pages that have all the terms specified.
- If you know for sure that the information you want is on a specific site, but you can't find it there, the site: command helps. It will limit your search to a single web address.
- If you want to find sites similar to the one you've already seen, type in Google related: and the site address without a space.
Ctrl+F - site search
You came to the site from a search engine, but you can't find what you need there? Use the combination Ctrl+F. This opens the internal search box. Start typing, and the browser will instantly scroll through the web page to where you want to go. This combination works in many programs, such as Adobe Reader, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs.
This type of search takes into account only actual occurrences. Therefore, entering words one at a time and without endings is better.
Use special services
Google Academy allows you to search the Internet for scientific literature: studies, monographs, articles, and dissertations.
Google Books will help to find the necessary passages in works of fiction.
With the "Search by picture" service in Google, you can not only find an image in a different resolution but also find out the author of the picture, the year of its creation, and other data.
Check the reliability of the information
What Internet sources can you trust? All resources on the Internet can be divided into reliable and verifiable. As a rule, reliable information that is prepared by experts and verified before publication can be found on the following sites:
- Official sites of large companies and government agencies, or resources officially supported by large companies and government agencies.
- Corporate blogs of companies. For example, on IT topics, you can look for information in the official blogs of IT companies. A lot of helpful information is published there. There are corporate blogs, which are located on the company's website itself.
- Official media sites. Such sites will have information at the bottom about the site's registration as a mass media, with the certificate number and date of registration. Before publication, information in the media is checked by editors. Moreover, by law, the media are responsible for the accuracy of the information posted. We could also add here the content published by the best writing services since they care about their reputation and post only verified content.
- Official channels on YouTube. As a rule, links to official channels can be found on companies' official websites. For example, a company has a Digital marketing channel that publishes information on Internet advertising.
From all other sources, the information needs to be verified because you don't know which person wrote the article, what experience they have and whether they are qualified to write on this or that topic, or whether or not someone has checked the reliability of the information before publishing it on the Internet. If you write an article based on unreliable information, you could be misleading your readers.
If the site is not one of the types of sites described above, it is advisable to check who maintains the site and what qualifications the author has:
- Look for information about the site's author. This is usually available in the "About the author" section.
- Read the information in the "About" section. Look how long the site has been running and who owns it. That way, you will understand whether it is worth trusting.
- A lot of quality information can be found in the blogs of experts - people known in the professional environment. Also, much valuable information can be found in specialized communities and social networks. However, data from communities should always be checked!
- Pay attention to the date of publication of the information found. Old articles may lose relevance.
- Facts and figures should be trusted only if the site lists the source. Formulations like "research shows" mean nothing. It is crucial that the article clearly states: who did the research, where, and when. Otherwise, try to find out for yourself. If no official information can be found, don't use this data.
Data from Wikipedia and other resources, where anyone can edit the material, must also be checked.
Pay attention to the date of publication - is the information not outdated?
