Using the Internet

How to Search

Keyword choice

The internet does not have a standard thesaurus as the bibliographic databases do. Search engines look for words occurring in the text of websites in order to return results.

You should therefore attempt to think about:

• What words might the author have used in the article? Think about how you might have written an article on your topic of interest.
• What combinations of words might have been used?
• What words are not likely to be used?

This ability to search the full text of articles can be very useful if your query involves either a relatively unusual word, or a combination of unusual words. As search engines will search a whole document, you may get results that you do not get via bibliographic databases.

The disadvantage is if your keyword is one that can be used in two ways, e.g. tablet=pharmaceutical, or tablet=computer. In this situation, you are likely to have to use advanced searching techniques (see later) to eliminate irrelevant ‘hits’.

Note that you may have to do several searches, using different keywords, in order to find the results you need.

If using Google see the section on searching Google for more detail.

Advanced/Complex Searches

Some search engines (e.g. Google) have ‘advanced search’ capabilities which allow you to search for results that contain combinations of keywords, or do not contain certain words, etc.

Google’s Advanced Search functionality is described here; other search engines may not have such functionality or may operate differently. If you are not using Google, check how advanced searching works on the search engine you are using.

Natural Language Searching

Natural Language Searching is when you formulate your search query as if you were talking to another person, e.g. 'What are the side effects of paracetamol', rather than a list of keywords: adverse effects paracetamol.

Evaluating Information Found on the Internet

The internet is not owned by anyone, and there is no restriction on what is put on the internet and by whom. As anyone can build a website with minimal technical knowledge, you will need to evaluate the information you find. The following criteria will help:

• Evaluation: Has it been evaluated by a trusted person/body already? This may be UKMi, or your organisation’s library. Does the information appear to be accurate and trustworthy? If it is presented as an AI overview, proceed as per the UKMi Position Statement on Use of AI in MI Services.
• Reputation: Is the resource well-known and well-respected?
• Presentation: Is the information professionally presented? Although professional presentation does not indicate trustworthiness, lack of professionalism may indicate that the resource is not to be trusted. Is the site well-designed and easy to use?
• Author and Authority: who wrote or commissioned the information? An individual, national association, professional body, commercial entity? What is their authority? Can you tell? Does the author have any relevant qualifications? Has the information been checked/reviewed by someone other than the author?
• Audience: Who is the target audience? Is it aimed at doctors (e.g. for use at point of care), pharmacists, nurses, or patients?
• Referencing: Is it referenced? Can you tell where the information has come from?
• Date: Is the information up to date? How frequently is it updated? Is the frequency appropriate for the type of information?
• Scope: What is the intended scope of the website? How broad is its subject reach, and how deep? Is it general, or specific to one narrow topic? Is the information fairly superficial, or is there more depth? Is the depth sufficient for your requirements?
• Geography: Is the information aimed at users in a particular country? For instance, medical information may include country-specific guidelines or reference to drugs only available in particular countries.
• Bias: Does the information appear to be objective, or is it presented with a particular bias?
• Money: Is there a charge for access to any part of the website? Is the website attempting to sell anything? If there is a charge, who receives the money?

QRMG has produced a Resource Assessment Tool for evaluating information sources.

Internet Forums, Discussion Groups and News Groups

Forums, discussion sites and news groups allow users – which may include anyone who wishes to contribute, or may require users to have certain characteristics (e.g. be working in an MI service) – to contribute information. This may be limited to asking questions (where questions are answered by employees of the site or other approved persons), or may also include providing the answers.

Some of these sites are aimed at a professional audience, and some are not. There is often little or no way to know how trustworthy the information on these sites is. Nevertheless, they can be useful as they can contain information not found elsewhere. For example, information on a forum where advice is given by verified specialists in a particular field is likely to be reliable. On the other hand, there may be no one fact-checking information on patient forums. But even these can be a source of valuable information – e.g. reported side effects, or how patients deal with certain problems in practice. As with any other source of information, the information can be useful provided you use it appropriately.