Searching for and Extracting Relevant Information from the Internet

Internet Search Techniques

Always start by clearly defining the information you are looking for.
Remember to use specific keywords that will direct you to the necessary information.
Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to enhance your search. For example, ‘television AND history’ would return pages that contain both words.
Be aware of and utilise other advanced search features, such as phrase searching (using quotation marks), wildcards (* or ?), and language or region settings.
Evaluate and verify search results to ensure reliability and credibility. Pay attention to the source and date of the publication.
Keep the search history or URL of useful websites for reference in the future.

Extracting Information

Once a useful source is found, scan the content first to assess if it holds the required information.
Take the time to read sections thoroughly before deciding to use the information. Skimming might miss important points.
Remember to highlight or make notes of key points to aid revision.
Intellectual property rights should be respected. Always use quotation marks for direct quotes and record the source of your information for accurate referencing.
If the online material will be needed again, save the documents or webpage offline for easy access.

Storing and Organising Retrieved Information

Create a system for organising your information, maybe based on subject, date, or project relevance.
Be consistent in filing and naming conventions for easy retrieval.
Make sure to back-up or duplicate important files either in a cloud storage or an external hard drive for safety.
Regularly review and clean up stored information to avoid clutter and ensure all files are still necessary and updated.