Analyzing Your Results

When a search engine or directory lists the results of your search, the type and amount of information may differ from tool to tool. Sometimes the nature of the information is controlled by the author of the web page; sometimes it is determined by the specific search tool you are using. In this section, we'll look at the general characteristics of a results list and discuss how you can modify your search.

Let's look at an example from a search done in Alta Vista on the survivors of the Titanic disaster. Our results list included a page sponsored by the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The title is typically taken from a hidden "Title" field which is not visible on the page. This title may or may not match the title you view on the screen. The summary or description may be a brief abstract supplied by the page author, or simply the first few lines of text and headings appearing on the page.

DIGITAL, AltaVista and the AltaVista logo are trademarks or service marks of Digital Equipment Corporation. Used with permission.

Much of the information should be self-explanatory. Note that the date given is not necessarily the date when the page was last updated. In this search engine, it is the date when this page was first added to the search engine's database. The actual page has been updated since then. "Translation" is a feature offered by Alta Vista that is not necessarily available in other search engines.

What else can your results list tell you? Let's look at some examples in the next page.