1.

Become familiar with the features of a powerful search engine like Google or Google Scholar and use it first when searching the Internet. Use Electric Library to search for newspaper and journal articles on your topic. There are links to all these resources in the side bar.

2.

When searching a huge information resource like the Internet or a large resource like Electric Library start with a very specific search query.

• Use quotation marks to create an exact phrase that you want to find
• Use a combination of phrases and keywords where possible
• Use small case letters only.

Examples:
"fred hollows" biography
"mining industry" "industrial disputes"

3.

If you do not get enough hits then make your query a little broader by removing the least important keyword or phrase.

Examples:
"mining industry" "industrial disputes"
could be modified to:
"mining industry" disputes

or modifed further to:
mining disputes

4.

If you still do not get enough hits then rephrase your query with a different keyword.

Examples:
"mining industry" strikes
or
mining strikes

5.

Use the 'Australian sites' button to narrow your Google search to Australian content or use one of the Australian search engines available via the INTERNET SEARCH TOOLS link in the side bar.

Use the Advanced search facility of your search engine to narrow your search in a number of useful ways.

Be persistent and try a number of variations of your search query. Ask for assistance if you cannot find the information you need.

6.

When searching resources like library catalogues that are relatively small in comparison to the Internet, it is usually best to just use keywords. Enter one or two keywords in the 'keywords' field on the search page:

Examples:
mammals australia
marsden
science fiction

You can enter keywords in the appropriate 'title', 'author' or 'subjects' search fields for a more specific search of a particular field.

If you do not get any results using the catalogue it does not mean there is nothing in the library on your topic. Remember to search the reference section and to browse the shelves and look at the index pages of books to find information on your topic.

Check your spelling, especially when using media databases and library catalogues that will not give you a spelling alert like Internet search engines do. Misspelled words are the major cause of students not finding what they want when searching online information resources.