DOCID: 4046925
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
unique to one engine. Only 2.6 percent of the results were shared by three search providers, and 11.4 percent were delivered by two search engines."[1]
I am not surprised by the results, although I doubt the lack of overlap is quite as significant as the study indicates. The researchers used a relatively small sample, they only looked at the top ten results, they included paid results, and—probably most significantly—Dogpile sponsored the study. If a study to test metasearch engine results compared to individual search engine results concludes that metasearch engines do a better job, it is hardly surprising (and not necessarily convincing).
You can read the Doqpile/University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University study and take a look at Dogpile's "Compare Search Engines" page to see how the comparison works.
Rule Four
Use more than one search engine.
All search engines have their own way of doing things, which means there is no set of rules or guidelines that users can apply to them all. It helps, however, to familiarize yourself with the kinds of features available so you will at least know what to look for.
Often research involves the search for specific information: a telephone number, a name or title, a specific company or product, a piece of equipment, etc. Even researching a general subject may require a broader data set than a virtual library or subject guide offers if you need to find out as much as possible about a subject. For example, if I need to know everything available on the web about Mexico and NAFTA, I cannot limit myself to someone else's edited list. Besides, there won't be
- ↑ Dogpile.com in collaboration with researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania State University, "Different Engines, Different Results, A Research Study," July 2005, <http://comparesearchengines.dogpile.com/OverlapAnalysis.pdf> (14 November 2006). I have serious doubts about the accuracy of this claim, but the general conclusion of the study, that there is a lack of overlap among search engine results, is valid, is exaggerated.
