Using the Internet for research
The Internet can really help you in your efforts to move on
up the ladder, if you know how to use it. There?s a lot of information out
there, but sometimes it can seem as if there?s too much, and it?s hard to find
what you?re looking for. Here are some tips:
-
Find a search engine that you are happy with ?
most people like Google, but there are others as
well.
- Think carefully about what you are looking for
before you start, and the words that you use in your search. Be specific, but
not too specific. Here?s an example: I want to find out information about
becoming a sound engineer. If I type ?I want to become a sound engineer? into
the Google search box, I get nearly six million results from all over the world
and they don?t look very helpful. If I type ?sound engineer uk? then already I
am limiting my search to results that I can use, including the University for industry
web site Learndirect, which gives clear helpful information on what a sound
engineer actually does and how to become one. Try it and see.
- Learn to read the results to find the most
useful ones for you. In Google, the search results come up as a list with a
title (underlined in blue type), a short description (in black type) and the
web site address (in green type). It is often more useful to look at the web
site addresses, as these will tell you exactly where the information is coming
from. If you think a result might be helpful, click on the title or the web
site address to go to the page. When you?ve finished, use the Back button (the
arrow in the top left-hand corner) to go back to the results page.
- If you find a page that is really helpful, you
can ?bookmark? it by clicking Bookmarks or Favourites on the top menu of your
browser. That way, you have a quick link back to the page when you need to use
it.
