When you do a search and are not satisfied with the results, what’s your next step?
The majority of respondents, 11 people, said they reformulate their query using the same engine. Most people do this by using quotes, but others use narrower terms. Some people wrote that they change their keywords, but I don’t know if that means narrower terms, broader terms, related terms, or what exactly.
Specific examples of what people wrote include the following:
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* Refine the search, change key words, use/remove quotation marks.
* I narrow it by putting the words or phrases in quotes. Sometimes, I’ll choose a specific language or make sure I only get results in English (depending on what I’m looking for).
* I will usually try a different search with different words, perhaps a different order.
* Fine-tuning the query. I usually don’t go to another search engine until I’ve exhausted a number of possible key search words.
* Keep trying using different search phrases / narrow or expand the search, depending.
5 people specifically mention using quotes in their reformulation.
One person wrote this surprising response: This happens vary rarely. I suppose I just give up.
