Search Like a Pro: Sources and Strategies for Conducting Effective Research

www.fsoresearch.ca
Search Like a Pro: Sources and
Strategies for Conducting
Effective Research
CICBV Webinar - Nov. 30, 2016

www.fsoresearch.cawww.fsoresearch.ca
Hello!
I’m Marjan Farahbaksh
FSO Research & Information
marjan@fsoresearch.ca
647-504-4540

What do you do when you can’t find the
information you’re looking for on Google?
WHY don’t you find what you need on Google?

THE THREE SINS OF SEARCH
Limiting the search to Google as the only
search engine
Assuming the information can be found
through Google
Not using Google effectively

USE GOOGLE EFFECTIVELY1

Source: Google Inside Search, “How Search Works”
https://www.google.com/insidesearch/howsearchworks/thestory/index.html

USE GOOGLE EFFECTIVELY
Change your settings on Google.ca

Change your settings of Google.ca
◦ Change the number of results per
page

Change your settings on Google's "My
Activity" site; delete your history and
turn it off
More on searching and browsing privately:
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/4540094

Develop your search strategy
◦ Brainstorm for keywords, synonyms,
and alternative terms
◦ Create search query by grouping
keywords and concepts
◦ Execute search and analyze results
◦ Modify query and repeat

Brainstorm for keywords, synonyms,
and alternative terms
◦ Industry forecasts for electric cars
Cars Forecast
Vehicles Trend
Automobiles Outlook

Use synonyms and alternative terms

Create search query by grouping
keywords and concepts
◦ (electric cars OR electric vehicles OR
electric automobiles) (trends OR
forecast OR outlook)

Execute search and analyze results using
the CRAAP test
◦ Currency: The timeliness of the information
◦ Relevance: The importance of the
information for your needs
◦ Authority: The source of the information
◦ Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and
correctness of the content, and
◦ Purpose: The reason the information exists
Source:
http://libguides.library.ncat.edu/content.php?pid=53820&sid=394505

Rinse and repeat
◦ Search is iterative
◦ New information and sources lead to
modifications and additional searches

Terms and their order matter

Use Boolean operators
◦ Exact phrase - “electric cars” (also
works with single words to force
Google to search for the exact word)
◦ OR - “electric cars” OR “electric
vehicles” OR “electric automobiles”
◦ Exclude terms with minus sign -
“electric vehicles” -bicycles -bikes

Use Google’s advanced search operators
◦ Filetype: command will limit results to a specific
document type “marketability discount” OR
“discount for lack of marketability” filetype:ppt OR
filetype:pptx
◦ Intitle: command will limit results to webpages
and documents that have your term in the title
intitle:“marketability discount” OR intitle:“discount
for lack of marketability”
◦ Site: command will limit results to a specific site or
domain type
(electric cars OR electric vehicles OR electric
automobiles) (forecast OR trend OR outlook) site:.org

Use Google’s limiters
◦ Date limiter

Use the Wayback Machine for point-in-
time captures
◦ To pull up all archived pages for a
site:
https://web.archive.org/web/*/http:
//www.SITENAME.EXT/*

Use Google’s limiters
◦ Country limiter

Pay attention to Images

Combine them!
◦ Use Google’s Advanced Search screen

USE OTHER SEARCH ENGINES2

USE OTHER SEARCH ENGINES
Google vs. Bing: “electric vehicles” “industry trends”

www.fsoresearch.ca
Bing
◦ Second-most
popular
search engine
◦ More
consumer-
oriented than
Google
◦ Advanced
search
operators
Yandex
◦ Russian
search engine
◦ Excellent
advanced
commands
◦ Advanced
search
operators
◦ Advanced
search screen
DuckDuckGo
◦ Completely
anonymous
searching
◦ Uses Bing and
other indexes
◦ Advanced
search
operators

www.fsoresearch.ca
Million Short
◦ Removes the most
popular sites
◦ Uses Bing’s index
◦ Excellent for long-tail,
niche searches

www.fsoresearch.ca
Zanran
◦ “Google for data”
◦ Identifies data-rich
tables, graphs,
charts, etc.
◦ Provides additional
options for
narrowing down
the search

Look out for
Authority

USE THE “HIDDEN WEB” AND PREMIUM
DATABASES
3

USE THE “HIDDEN WEB”
◦ Not indexed by search
engines
◦ Estimated to be 500x
larger than the surface
web
◦ Includes catalogues,
databases, government
records, premium
resources, etc.

Look out for
Authority
Find the front page
◦ Combine search terms with database
OR dataset to find links to searchable
resources
◦ Combine search terms with resources
OR portal OR “online tool” to find
further links
◦ Look for industry associations or trade
journals

Look out for
Authority
Look out for
Authority

www.fsoresearch.ca
Millie
◦ Good source of
industry news for a
number of industries
◦ Customizable
dashboards and
advanced search
capabilities

USE PREMIUM DATABASES
Look out for
Authority
Lower-cost or pay-as-you-go options
◦ BVResources
◦ Alacra Premium
• Over 150 databases (including
transactions databases, industry
reports, analyst reports, etc.)
• Per-per-view pricing model

USE A PROFESSIONAL

USE A PROFESSIONAL
Look out for
Authority
Use the experts
◦ Your firm’s librarians/research
specialists
◦ AIIP (Association of Independent
Information Professionals) -
“Knowledge Delivered”

Thanks!
ANY QUESTIONS?
marjan@fsoresearch.ca
647-504-4540
www.fsoresearch.ca

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