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If Google is your preferred search engine

Introduction

Although we use the internet every day, many of us have had little formal training in how to search it effectively. General internet searching, such as using Google, also has recognised limitations when answering Medicines Information enquiries, but it can offer important benefits when used appropriately.

This guidance explains how to use the internet and internet-based search tools effectively when answering Medicines Information enquiries. It is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to internet searching. NOTE: As Google defaults to displaying an AI overview of searches, this guidance must be read in conjunction with the UKMi Position Statement on the Use of AI in MI Services.

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The Place of a General Internet Search in enquiry answering strategy

It may be tempting to assume that a general internet search should always come last, after all of the other ‘conventional’ MI resources have been exhausted. However, this is not always the case. 

The advantage of the standard MI resources is that most of them cover a specific area and can be searched in a standardised way. You already know what sort of information will be found in each resource and you will only look in the resources likely to hold the information you want. 

A general internet search is useful:

  • When you would otherwise search a bibliographic database (e.g. Embase/Medline) but the most appropriate search terms aren’t in their thesauri.
  • If the keywords you use are not listed as keywords on Embase/Medline, and are not used in the title/abstract of the article listing (or anywhere else in the Embase/Medline record). Because a search engine searches the fulltext of an article (if available), you may get additional relevant results.
  • When you want the latest information. As Embase/Medline require a human being to fully index records, there may be a time lag between the publication of a paper and its appearance in Embase/Medline. An internet search is likely to find new papers faster, especially from the more influential journals with larger, more active websites.
  • When you just want to know “is this a thing?” rather than finding all the literature on a subject.
  • When you are looking for guidelines, consensus statements, expert opinions, etc, that are not published in the academic literature or other ‘grey’ literature.  
  • Identification/availability of products, e.g. branded products, foreign products, herbal/complementary products.
  • Information on drugs of abuse/substance misuse. 

As with any other resource, the key to effective use is knowledge: knowing how to use it, and also when, making best use of the advantages and avoiding the pitfalls.

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Summary

  • A general internet search can be a very useful tool in answering MI enquiries; it has advantages as well as disadvantages compared to the more usual searches of bibliographic databases (e.g. Medline, Embase). As with every resource used in MI, it should be used with consideration for its strengths and weaknesses, and together with other resources as appropriate.
  • General internet searching is a different skill to use of bibliographic databases.
  • ‘Private Browsing’ does not prevent personalisation of search results.
  • Some websites may show up better in certain browsers.
  • Google has a number of useful tools (e.g. Google Advanced Search, Google Scholar) with which MI staff should familiarise themselves.
  • This guidance must be read in conjunction with the UKMi Position Statement on the Use of AI in MI Services.

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Last Reviewed: Oct 2026