4.3: Search Engines and Databases

Search engines and database searches were once the realm of only the experienced Internet surfer. Today, finding relevant, quality information is fairly simple. Simply choose a search engine, enter what you are looking for into the search window and select enter. Within a fraction of a second the search engine will typically find scores of resources for you in an instant. From this basic search, you can conduct your preliminary research, find outlying sources and different views, or refine your search criteria with the terms you find from each successive search. Search engines and Internet browsers are excellent tools to start your research but there are cautions. Search engines look for and find only what you ask of them-they do not evaluate the quality of the source. This is a risky venture for most research that you will be called upon to generate in your career. A better option is to use the academic databases provided by your local university library, if you can get access, or through the MSFRIC for students and faculty enrolled in Air University courses. Academic databases contain thousands of rigorous, peer-reviewed articles that are suitable for substantiating claims with research-based evidence.

Starting Points

There are many starting points on the Internet which may introduce you to your topic and/or point you to important resources. Reputable sources are those with verifiable, researched information, such as found in virtual libraries and library databases. There are also a host of shared content sites, such as wikis, that may also get you started; however, be warned that information from public sites where the content is generated by anyone with access to the internet should be questioned and subjected to verification before becoming that key point in your paper or presentation. Remember, starting points are best for getting to know some basics about your topic so you can refine your search engine terms to find reputable sources.

• Wikipedia \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) (http://www.wikipedia.org/) is considered by many to not be citable in a formal research paper, due to the anonymous nature of contributors. However, it often proves a very useful introduction to a subject and in the margin or at the bottom of the article there are usually links to usable sources, sometimes primary sources.
• Yahoo! \({ }^{\text {TM }}\) Directory (http://dir.yahoo.com/) is an example of a directory of topics and subtopics, with links to references, to survey the resources available for a given topic.
• Open Directory Project (http://www.dmoz.org/) is another extensive directory of links organized by topic.
• Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports, short summaries written by subject matter experts at the Library of Congress, are excellent starting points for becoming familiar with a topic. See the government resources section later for information on finding CRS reports.

Search Engines

If you do not know exactly what you want, you’ll need to use a search engine to find websites that have useful information. Search engines use key words and phrases to search the Internet. Some allow you to type in questions and most have catalogs that sort a limited number of sites by topic. For whichever search engine you’re using, look first for a link to "advanced" search tools on that search engine. You may also want to do a search for hints and tips for using that search engine. Getting to know your search engine may greatly improve your search results as well as speed up your search. One popular search engine is Google \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) which can be found by typing "Www.Google.com" into your Internet browser. Once you are at the site, type in a few words or phrases that describe the main concepts of a topic. Google \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) only returns web pages that contain all the words you type in, making it easy to refine or narrow your search. It will definitely be worth your time to search for hints and tips on doing Google \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) searches. Much of what you learn will also carry over to other search engines.

• The use of the \(<\) site: \(\quad>\) operator to restrict searches. Most search engines have the site: operator, which can be used to search the .mil or other domains, or even specific folders on a site. Just type in the search box the term(s) you wish to search for and then add site:domain [site then colon then domain, with no space on either side of the colon]. Below are examples. Here and elsewhere in this chapter \(<\) and \(>\) enclose the search terms to be typed into the search engines, but the \(<\) and \(>\) are not themselves typed in.
  • will search for doctrine on all DoD public web pages.
  • will search Air Force pages for space doctrine.
  • < future warfare site:au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/cst/> will search for future warfare in the research papers written by Air War College students for the Center for Strategy and Technology. Those papers were discovered to be in this folder.
  • will search the CIA site for information on China.
• Refining your keyword searches to improve search efficiency. Once you’re comfortable with the Internet, you may want to learn some tricks to improve your search efficiency. Most search engines use the tools below or variations on them. Learn the "advanced" features of whichever search engine you use. Many of the features mentioned for Google \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) also apply to other search engines.
• Use "and" or the plus symbol "+" to make sure that your search engine gives you pages that have all the words you enter. For example, either of these searches will keep you away from sites that describe military aviation, but not military aviation accidents.
  • <Military AND aviation AND accidents \(>\)
  • \(<\) Military+aviation+accidents \(>\)
• Use "not" or the minus symbol "-" to eliminate sites with unrelated words that clutter your search. For example, if you’re looking for Microsoft \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) Windows 8 information but keep getting Windows 7 or Windows Vista sites, you can eliminate them by using the following search (Note: The Google \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) search engine requires a space before the minus sign, but none between it and the term to be eliminated).
  • <Windows 8 -7 -Vista \(>\)
  • <Windows 8 NOT 7 NOT Vista \(>\)
• Using Quotation Marks (" ") to get websites that have your search words in the order you specify. For example, <"Operation Desert Storm" \(>\) gives a much tighter search than \(<\) Operation \(+\) Desert \(+\) Storm \(>\).
• Google \({ }^{T M}\) automatically searches for synonyms, but you can turn that off by putting quotes around a word. For example <Internet searching "tips" \(>\) would yield results only for tips-not guides, help, or tutorials-about Internet searching.
• Other Google \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) operators (a sampling): for more, do a search on Google \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) operators.
  • cache: shows Google \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) cache of a page, such as cache: cia.gov
  • related: shows pages on related topics, such as related: nasa.gov o define: shows a word’s definition, such as define: pecuniary
  • filetype: limits search to only those type files, such as filetype: pdf
• Combining Operations: Once you’ve got the basics down, you can combine operations. For example, <"Operation IRAQI FREEDOM" AND “Air Operations" \(>\) gives you relevant sites on Air Operations during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. If you want to research Operation DESERT STORM, but do not want information relating to Gulf War Syndrome, you can use the form below to subtract topics you do not want: <"Operation DESERT STORM" + "Air Operations"-"gulf war syndrome">
• Internet searches require some judgment. If you don’t use enough keywords to narrow your topic, you’ll end up spending a lot of time scanning sites and trying to find the ones that are most relevant. On the other hand, a tightly focused search might overlook a relevant citation. There are no easy answers, but through trial and error you’ll probably find the balance that works for your particular topic. In either case, you must evaluate the quality of the information (see below).
• Search Engine Options. If you’re having trouble finding material on your topic, you might try more than one search engine. Different search engines may yield different results and some specialize in certain fields of study. To find out more details, do an Internet search for current rankings and recommendations. Here are some of the current

• Specialized Military and Government Search Engines. Several search engines are tailored to search for military and government information. Search.USA.gov (http://usasearch.gov) searches over 30 million US government web pages. Searchmil.com, Google \({ }^{T M}\) powered, searches the .mil domain. The Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) has a search function that searches multiple military-related sites, including CALL, Army, Army Field Manuals, Army regulations and other sites. DoD registered log-in is required for full access.
• Other Specialized Search Engines. Following searches are examples of how to find search engines that may specialize in your topic, or that may combine results from multiple search engines (these are called meta search engines).
  • \(<\) international relations search engine \(>\) will yield results that include search engines or directories that specialize in international relations.
  • \(<\) meta search engine list \(>\) will point you to the latest meta search engines.
  • \(<\) international relations meta search engine \(>\) will lead to meta search engines that deal with international relations. There may not always be such engines, depending on the topic area.

Did you know?

The words AND, OR and NOT, when used between keywords in a database search, are called Boolean operators. Boolean operators were developed in the 1800s by George Boole, an English mathematician. Boolean operators are heavily used in the design of electronic circuits.