The basics:
To search CNN.com, enter a few descriptive keywords at the top or bottom of this or any CNN.com page. Once you enter your search, you have the option to drill down into either Web, news, or video search results. The search only returns Web pages or stories that contain all the words in your query, refining or narrowing your search is as simple as adding more words to the search terms you have already entered. CNN.com's site search is designed to be simple and easy for our users. If you don't find your search term right away, use these tips to try to refine your search.

The more words you type in, the more specific the results will be. You also run the chance of narrowing down your query too much. Put double-quotes around phrases that you want to find. For example, if you're searching for the specific phrase George W. Bush, type in "George W. Bush". Always double-check your spelling if no results are returned. If no results are returned, review the terms that you entered to make sure that you did not mispell any terms. If you did, correct the spelling and try your search again. Only documents containing all of the words in the query will be returned. If you are looking for a specific item, type several words that will definitely be included in that document. For example, if you're looking for something less specific, just type in "tax" and you'll get more matches. There is no need to include "and" between terms.

Automatic Exclusion of Common Words:
Common words and characters such as "where" and "how" are ignored, as well as certain single digits and letters, because they tend to slow down your search without improving the results. If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include this by conducting a phrase search, which simply means putting quotation marks around two or more words. Common words in a phrase search (e.g., "where are you") are included in the search. For example, to search for Star Wars, Episode I, use: "Star Wars Episode I".

Capitalization:
Searches are NOT case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how you type them, will be understood as lower case. For example, searches for "george bush", "George Bush", and "gEoRgE bUsH" will all return the same results.

Select words or phrases that are descriptive:
Think about how you would describe the perfect story or resource for your search. If you want information about stem cell research in Europe, type in exactly that - "Stem Cell Research in Europe" (remember to use double-quotes).

Try word variations:
Enter in variants of the search word, such as synonyms or the plural forms of a word. For example, enter "school" in place of "classroom." Try using conjunctions to refine your search.