The Internet is a terrific source of information on all kinds of topics. Sometimes it's too good: there's so much information out there, it can be hard to find just what you're looking for.

Most of the time, we use search engines like Google or Yahoo to help us find information. Search engines catalogue what's on the Internet, but they're not very smart – they give you exactly what you ask for. If you're not specific enough, you won't get the information you want.

The words you use in a search engine are called your search terms. All of them together are called your query or search string. In general, the more relevant words you include in your query, the better your results will be.

As well as the actual words you enter, most search engines allow you to add special symbols and words to your search that limit the results. These are +, -, ~ and OR.

• Including + in front of words means that you will get only results that include all those exact words. This helps eliminate many irrelevant results.

Example: +teen +pregnancy

• Including OR between two words means that you will get results that include either word. This is good when you have two words that are synonyms or close in meaning. It also can help if one of the words is likely to be blocked by a filtering program.

Example: birth control OR contraception

• You can also use the tilde sign (~) to look for a word and any words that mean the same thing. For example, a search for "~contraception" will also search for "birth control," because the two words are synonyms (they mean the same thing).
  
  
  
• Placing - before a word means that you will get only results that do not include that word. This helps eliminate many irrelevant results.

Example: pill -vitamin

• You can also search for a whole phrase by placing it within quotes. This means you will get only results in which those words occur in that order. You can combine this with other search terms.

Example: “sexual health”

• You can also limit your search to a particular Web site by placing "site:" and then the site's URL (Web address) after your search string. This is useful if you know of a good site and want to find particular information there. Remember not to put a space between “site:” and the URL.

Example: "birth control" site:www.sexualityandu.ca

Many search engines also let you filter your search results to keep out material that may be offensive. Google, for example, lets you set your SafeSearch settings if you click the Preferences link. It's a good idea to start at the highest level of filtering and only switch if you can't find what you're looking for.

Example of a successful search string

Let's say you want to find out information on genital warts: how are they transmitted, how are they treated and how can they be prevented.

You might start just by entering the search term:   

genital warts

You'll get some results that include both words, but also some that only include one word or the other. To make sure you get only results that include both words, you can enter:

genital AND warts

or

+genital +warts

Or, since the two words form a phrase, you can write:

"genital warts"

But suppose there's a popular band called "The Genital Warts." A lot of your hits might relate to them instead of your topic, so you can add a limiting term:

"genital warts" -band

Now you're just getting hits relevant to your topic, but the information you get is going to be quite broad. Narrow it down by adding a few more search terms:

"genital warts" -band +transmission +treat +prevented

Oops! That word "treat" is too narrow: you're missing out on results that use other words that mean similar things, like "care," "prognosis" and "cure." Try putting a tilde (~) in front of that word to include all the synonyms:

"genital warts" -band +transmission ~treat +prevented

Now that you've got a good search string, you can use it to search a site you already know is reliable, like SexualityandU.ca:  

"genital warts" -band +transmission ~treat +prevented site:www.sexualityandu.ca

Hey! That led right to an FAQ with just the answers you need:

http://www.sexualityandu.ca/faqs/index_e.aspx?cid=13#q140

Now try developing a search string for another sexual health topic. Make sure to use multiple search terms, symbols like +, - and ~, and to enclose phrases in quotation marks.