A Search Engine is a software system that uses agents or "spiders" to search, analyze and retrieve information from the World Wide Web matching this information to the search terms you have used. The resulting list represents those items most closely matched.

Often the Search Engine will rank the results based on it's own criteria. Criteria may include the domain name, the proximity of searched words to each other, the frequency inwhich a page is listed by other indexed pages, keywords used, and even by payment for a site placement.

It's important to understand that content on the web is constantly changing. What you find today maybe gone tomorrow, or else might be altered. No Search Engine contains all the documents on the Internet. Sometimes documents retrieved are not available in full-text for free. In that case, a BCC student, faculty or staff member may want to look at one of the Library's online periodical index databases to see if the article is available there as a free resource. A BCC student, staff or faculty member also has the option of obtaining the article through interlibrary loan. (ILL).

While every Search Engine is different, all have a help page. This is very useful as the best construction of a search query may differ from Search Engine to Search Engine. Boolean logic is not consistent across all Search Engines. Search Engines also use very different criteria for determining how relevant each hit is. Some base their criteria on the popularity of sites, others rely on payment for optimum placement. Therefore the most relevant result for your query may not be the first item listed.

You are, in the end, the best person to judge how reliable a site is for your needs, and not the Search Engine itself. Therefore it is very important that you have a criteria for judging the sites you encounter.

For more information on a criteria for judging sites, go to the Evaluating Resources page.