Seeley G. Mudd Library | Internet Resource Center | Search the 'Net | Summary Chart

Selected Search Tools for the WWW: A Guide

Lycos

Lycos offers two searching modes, Lycos and Lycos Advanced Search, which you get by following the Advanced Search link on the Lycos homepage. In either mode, capitalization has no effect on your search in Lycos. Wildcard searching is not available, nor are substring searches. You may find the Lycos Network Help useful for both modes.

Lycos Web Directory provides searchable categories, using the Open Directory Project. Even more information about Lycos topics is available at the Lycos Site Map

Lycos

You can initiate a search in Lycos by entering search terms in the box at the top of the page labeled Search and then clicking on the button labeled GO. By default, you will be searching for all the words you type in the search box, which is the equivalent of the Boolean "and" search.

You can exclude words you specify from being included in your results. Use the minus sign [-] to designate words that should not appear. Don't put a space between the - and the word it should affect.

Example: state -matter

In the same manner, you can specify that a word or words be required in your search results by using the plus sign [+].

By using double quotation marks ["], you can specify that the words you type within the marks be searched as a phrase. For example, searching "lawrence university" will locate the terms as a phrase, rather than as two words appearing anywhere.

Once your search is completed, You will be shown results grouped into the categories for Web, News (from Web news sites), and Shopping. At the top of the results page you can check a box to select Search within these results which lets you add more terms and narrow the number of items found.

Lycos Advanced Search

From the Lycos homepage, follow the Advanced Search link. Use the pull-down menu to select the kind of search you would like to perform. The searches are Should include (Boolean or), Must include (Boolean and), and Must not include (Boolean not). All searches can be set to look in the text, title, URL, or referring URL. Quotation marks can be used to search phrases. Select the options, click in the text box, enter your search terms, and click on the button labeled Submit Search. The Advanced Search Help is important reading for anyone interested in using this mode of searching.

Click here to search Lycos
Summary Chart
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Created: 16 September 2000
Revised: 9 August 2002

Gretchen Revie, Reference Librarian, Seeley G. Mudd Library
Lawrence University, PO Box 599, Appleton, WI 54912 (920) 832-7000