General Search Tips:
The Basics:
The NCTE Search works like most search engines, including Google. Type in a few
descriptive keywords and press Enter (or click the Search button) for a list of
relevant Web pages on the NCTE Web site. Only Web pages that contain all
of the words you entered will be returned; however, you can refine or narrow your
search by adding more specific terms.
Keyword Selection:
For best results, it's important to choose your keywords wisely. Keep these tips
in mind:
- Try the obvious first. If you're looking for information on the elementary grade
levels, enter only "elementary" and not "grade level."
- Use words likely to appear in the section with the information you want. "NCTE 2008
Annual Convention" will return better results than "last year's member meeting."
- Make keywords as specific as possible. "NCTE Annual Fund" will produce more relevant
results than "giving donations."
Automatic "and" Searches:
By default, the NCTE Search will only return results that include all of your search
terms. There is no need to include "and" between terms. Keep in mind that the order
in which the terms are typed will affect the search results. To restrict a search
further, simply include more search terms.
Automatic Exclusion of Common Words:
The search engine ignores common words and characters such as "where" and "how,"
as well as certain single digits and single letters, because they tend to slow down
your search without improving the results. The NCTE Search will indicate if a common
word has been excluded by displaying details on the results page below the search
box. If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include
it by putting a "+" sign in front of it. (Be sure to include a space before the
"+" sign.) Another method for doing this is conducting a phrase search; put quotation
marks around two or more words. Common words in a phrase search (e.g., "where are
you") are included in the search.
Variations and Capitalization:
Searches are NOT case sensitive. For example, searches for "NCTE,"
"ncte," and "NcTe" will all return the same results. Additionally, wildcard searches
are not supported. In other words, the search looks for exactly the words that you
enter in the search box. Searching for "book" or "book*" will not yield "books"
or "bookstore." If in doubt, try both forms.
Advanced Search Tips:
Introduction:
The NCTE Advanced Search gives you a variety of additional options to narrow your
search of the NCTE Web site. Instead of simply a basic keyword search, the NCTE
Advanced Search also allows you to search for items with specific keywords, with
a specific phrase, with at least one keyword, or without a keyword.
Search a Specific Site:
The NCTE Search searches files on both the NCTE Web site and on ReadWriteThink (a
partnership between NCTE, the International Reading Association, and the MarcoPolo
Education Foundation that provides quality practices and resources). In the “Site”
drop-down box in the Advanced Search, you can specify one of the two particular
Web sites to search.
Select “NCTE” in the “Site” drop-down, and you also have the ability to search a
specific portion of the NCTE Web site—search according to site section, level, constituent
group, or publication type.
Additional Search Options:
Through a drop-down box next to the “Search” button, the Advanced Search allows
you to determine the number of results that will display on a page.
You can also specify the type of file to search. By selecting an option from the
“File Type” drop-down box, you can search for only html files or PDF files.
