Using Websites and Search Engines

The PICO question: Do educational programs for HIV/AIDS patients lead to the reduction of stigma faced by search people in the society?

List the number of “hits” that were returned.

The number of hits that were returned was 100,000.

How does this search engine rate and rank the reference articles that it lists in a search? 

The search engine used rates the reference articles depending on how they were searched with the most searched article being ranked on top and followed by the newly launched or uploaded articles. Generally, the articles in this search engine are rated in terms of the number of searches related to each individual article. This means that the highly rated article is the one that had many searches as people are believed to be interested in the information contained in this article due to its usefulness and high quality.

How does this search engine ranking system aid researchers as they seek information?

The search engine is of great help to the researchers. When they look for some information, the engine leads them first to the most highly rated article containing the information they are interested in. Furthermore, this engine ranking system also highlights other sites that contain related articles or articles with the similar information researchers are searching for. Therefore, this system is capable of finding helpful links that provide the information similar to that being sought for by the researcher.

What steps can a researcher use to narrow the search for information on a clinical topic? 

The first step for the researcher is to come up with a thesis statement. This will help him or her in narrowing down the field of search despite the fact that what he or she is searching is a broad topic. The thesis statement will limit the researcher to a specific area. It is necessary to make the search not only meaningful but also manageable. In addition, the researcher can perform brainstorming. In other words, he or she be able to right down some of the short questions and terms that he or she is looking for. Such approach is very critical and has a great potential of yielding very effective results within a very short time. On the other hand, searching for a very broad topic as a whole instead of narrowing down to specific key words wastes time and energy as one is not able to get the exact information related to his search topic.

Why is it necessary to narrow a search? 

It is necessary for one to narrow a search. In fact, it is very difficult and even sometimes impossible to find the specific information one is looking for without narrowing down to the specifics needed. For instance, when you want to conduct a search on the disease of diabetes, it is obviously a very broad subject; thus, for this matter, it is easier for one to narrow down to the certain kind or type of diabetes, symptoms, causes, treatment, or care of such patients. This is the essence of narrowing down a search as it leads one to the core of the subject matter being sought as opposed to just giving the general information of the whole thing. Narrowing down also helps the researcher go deeper into details since the specific information is not general in any way. In summary, it is important for a person to narrow down the search to the details as this will save time and energy necessary for the work. Furthermore, his approach will enable the researcher to narrow down to the specifics of the subject matter.

Which search did you find to be the most effective and useful on this clinical topic, and what made it effective for you?

The search that I found to be the most effective is the one that narrowed down to the specific subject matter. This was very central to the clinical topic because it allowed me to move from the general information related to the clinical topic to the specific area. This is a very beneficial approach as the Google search engine was able to move me into the specifics as well as led me to other sites with the relevant information. It was very effective as it enabled me to go deeper into the details at the same time saving my time and energy as I was not dealing with the generals but with the specifics.

What is the difference between a search engine and a database for locating relevant practice information? 

A search engine enables one to search and get the specific information being sought while a database is all about the general information. Thus, both tools are helpful to a researcher.

Select a preferred search tool, and identify the rationale for your preference. 

The preferred search tool for this matter is the Google search engine because it provides one with the specific information required, ranks and rates every article with the related information depending on the quality and the hits that each one has attracted. Finally, it leads one to other relevant sites with similar detailed information to the one being sought for.