Back to Top Search Tips For specific questions, begin on-line where you would look in print. For example, if you are looking for stock listings, go to the Dow-Jones website. If you want to locate a business, check on-line yellow pages. For research, start your search with subject indices. Just as a traditional library search begins with general reference books and leads to more specific sources, so too does a profitable on-line search.
Subject indices classify and catalogue resources by content.
They are usually well maintained and hierarchical. The next step for research is search engines, which are electronic tools that search the Internet for information, usually by key word, full text or title searching. Most search engines have help files. Since each search engine works differently reading the help file provides clues for refining your search. These will lead you to tips for narrowing your search and improving the accuracy of the search results.