Searching the Net is both an art and a science. You want your search to return what you re looking for without returning thousands of web pages that are not relevant. For example, if you search for Winston Churchill , you might be surprised to get returns about Winston cigarettes, Winston Smith, and Winston-Salem North Carolina, along with dozens of Winston Churchill High School entries. Always use the Advanced Search provided by most engines. Always check Help to see specifics about how to enter your query.
Different engines use different protocols.
If you are entering a phrase or complete name, such as Mediterranean navigation or Charles Dickens , enclose them within double-quotes. This forces the engine to consider your phrase as an entity rather than individual words. If you are searching for multiple words to be considered separately, do not use quotation marks. On some engines, you d do better by typing Renaissance and Florence and Michelangelo to achieve the desired result. To eliminate unwanted returns, use the word not to exclude extraneous entries.