Analyzing+Search+Results

=Analyzing Search Results=

search engines often display snippets of text from the pages containing your keywords; the number of times your keywords show up in the snippet might indicate the relevance of the web page to your search; the proximity of the words can also indicate relevance as would a keyword in the URL; Google displays your search terms in **bold** for easy scanning

the name of a URL is often **mnemonic**: it indicates what the web site is about so that its URL is easier to remember

the end of a domain name indicates either a certain type of web site or its geographic domain (e.g. .com, .edu. .org, .jp, etc.)

search engines use **algorithms** (mathematical formulas) to rank each web site according to the terms used in your search query; every search engine has a slightly different algorithm for figuring out which is the best web site

you shouldn't have to go through several pages of search results to find useful pages - if you do, refine your search strategy

more and more search engines are creating directories (subject guides) of recommended web sites on many subjects - if a search engine site has included a web page in its directory, it might indicate relevance

sometimes links to web pages break - Google has **cached**, or hidden, copies of indexed web pages - if you click the word cached you will see a copy of the web page with your keywords highlighted


 * Guides to Evaluating Web Resources**

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 * Bibliographies for Evaluating Web Resources**

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 * Sources:**

Barker, Donald I. and Carol D. Terry //Internet research// Boston, MA: Course Technology, 2009.

Hartman, Karen and Ernest Ackerman //Searching and researching on the Internet and the world wide web//, Sherwood, OR: Franklin, Beedle & Associates, 2010.