[Web4lib] Google search results question

[Felicia Mehl]

I took a class on search engines where we did various searches on Google and 
compared results. We noticed, like you did, that the number of actual 
results was not the same as the estimate, also that each person got 
different numbers of total results although their searches were exactly the 
same (as per the assignment), and that using the "OR" operator seemed to 
generate a total number of results that didn't make sense mathematically. 
Our prof said that in some cases it was because these numbers were only 
estimates (based on how Google indexes documents), and in the case of "OR" 
that it was a problem with their algorithm.

Sorry I don't have more details but hope that helps,

Felicia Mehl
Starving graduate student, Master of Library and Information Science
University of Washington

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sloan, Bernie" <bernies at uillinois.edu>
To: <web4lib at webjunction.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 1:49 PM
Subject: [Web4lib] Google search results question


A couple of weeks ago I ran into the following scenario:

When I did the following search: "service perspectives for the digital
library" (quotes included) I got "Results 1 - 10 of about 2,030". But if
I went to the final page of results (and clicked on "repeat the search
with the omitted results included") there were really only about 275
results.

I sent a note to Google and they fixed it. I thought it was an anomaly.
But this weekend I ran into the following scenario:

When I did the following search: "ask a librarian" (quotes included) I
got "Results 1 - 10 of about 5,850,000". But if I go to the final page
of results (and click on "repeat the search with the omitted results
included") there are really only about 995 results. A much bigger
discrepancy than the first one I reported.

I've reported this one to Google too. Anyone else ever notice big
discrepancies like this?

Bernie Sloan
Senior Information Systems Consultant
Consortium of Academic & Research Libraries in Illinois
616 E. Green Street, Suite 213
Champaign, IL  61820-5752

Phone: (217) 333-4895
Fax:   (217) 265-0454
E-mail: bernies at uillinois.edu


_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4lib at webjunction.org
http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/