Power Searching on the Web Top 10 Tips Christian Veillette M.D., M.Sc., FRCSC Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Shoulder & Elbow Reconstructive Surgery University Health Network Deputy Editor, Information and Communication Technology Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research Email: [email protected]
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Power Searching on the Web Top 10 Tips Christian Veillette M.D., M.Sc., FRCSC Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Shoulder & Elbow Reconstructive.
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Power Searching on the Web
Top 10 Tips
Christian Veillette M.D., M.Sc., FRCSCAssistant Professor, University of TorontoShoulder & Elbow Reconstructive Surgery
University Health Network
Deputy Editor, Information and Communication TechnologyClinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
• Understand common search syntax• Use the advanced search functionality of the
major search engines• Compare different Internet search tools and
determine which tool is better for a certain search
Power Searching on the Web• Jargon terms• Multiple keywords• Quotation marks• OR • Parentheses• Limit by site• Limit by filetype• + (plus sign)• - (minus sign)• ~ (tilde sign)
Power Searching on the Web• Jargon terms = Technical terms• Multiple keywords = Avoid simple search• Quotation marks = Exact phrase searching• OR = Concept groupings• Parentheses = Multiple concept groups• Limit by site/title• Limit by filetype• + (plus sign) = Stopword searching• - (minus sign) = Exclude• ~ (tilde sign) = Thesaurus or synonym searching
Tip 1: Use Jargon Terms
• Specialized or technical terminology• If the sites we wish to avoid are patient
oriented
Use language patients wouldn’t understand
Tip 2: Multiple Keyword Search• Avoid simple keyword search– Use at least 3 terms
• (“steroid injection" OR cortisone OR depomedrol OR triamcinolone) (improve OR help OR placebo) (“shoulder pain” OR “subacromial impingement” OR “rotator cuff tear”)
Tip 6: Limit by site• When you want to control the quality of the search
results– Want government reports on total hip replacement?
• “total hip replacement" site:fda.gov• When you know a site that is likely to have what you
need– Want CME on topic from the AAOS, but without using their
site search engine?• CME ("shoulder replacement" OR “shoulder arthroplasty"”)
site:aaos.org• When you want to locate a known document– Remember a patient guide but not what organization
released it?• (acute back pain OR “acute back pain”) site:.org
Tip 6: Limit by site• (“total hip replacement" OR "total hip
arthroplasty") site:clinicaltrials.gov
Tip 7: Limit by filetype
• When you have reason to suspect that the answer you need will be in a certain format– white papers, presentations, reprint
• Find a presentation – ((osteonecrosis OR AVN) (hip OR femur OR
“femoral head”)) filetype:ppt• Find a reprint– ((osteonecrosis OR AVN) (hip OR femur OR
“femoral head”)) filetype:pdf
Tip 7: Limit by filetype– ((osteonecrosis OR AVN) (hip OR femur OR
“femoral head”)) filetype:ppt
Tip 8: + (plus sign)
• Google ignores common words and characters such as where, the, how, and other digits and letters
• If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, include it by putting a "+" sign in front of it
• Be sure to include a space before the "+" sign– ACJ separation type +III
Tip 8: + (plus sign)• ACJ separation type +III
Tip 9: - (minus sign)
• Use the minus sign to exclude terms from results when there is a clustering of irrelevant results
• Help refine a search– bone-grafting in the treatment of ununited
femoral shaft fractures – nonunion femoral (shaft OR diaphysis) "bone-
grafting“ -supracondylar –hip -neck
Tip 9: - (minus sign) • nonunion femoral (shaft OR diaphysis) "bone-
grafting“ -supracondylar –hip -neck
Tip 10: Use Advanced Search
nonunion femoral shaft OR diaphysis "bone grafting" -supracondylar -neck -hip
If creating this search string comes naturally, you don’t