The learning goal
Keep a short phrase you actually remember and use site: for a plausible known domain. Change one condition at a time. Open the candidate, verify its complete meaning and record the page version or checked date and section. Neither a snippet nor zero results establishes the claim.
Separate remembered evidence from a guess
Our original exercise begins with the note “JPEG does not support an alpha channel.” JPEG and alpha channel are known clues; MDN is a guessed source. Mark that domain as unverified rather than silently converting it into a confirmed reference.
If the page is already open somewhere, the tab search versus Find guide addresses the faster recovery route. This exercise concerns an unidentified page that must first be located through a search engine.
| Field | Record | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Topic | JPEG and transparency | Known |
| Phrase | alpha channel | Remembered clue |
| Possible domain | developer.mozilla.org | Unverified |
| Original URL and version | Not recorded | Missing |
Broaden one condition at a time
The Google Search help page describes quotes for matching a word or phrase and site: for a site or domain, without a space after the operator. These are query routes to try, not claimed rankings or result counts from your Google account.
An English source may not match a translated note word for word. If the whole sentence fails, shorten the quoted phrase before concluding it does not exist. The remembered domain could also be wrong; remove site: while retaining the phrase to test that hypothesis.
site:developer.mozilla.org "JPEG" "alpha channel"| Query route | Retained conditions | Diagnostic purpose |
|---|---|---|
| site:developer.mozilla.org "JPEG" "alpha channel" | Domain and two phrases | Find candidates on the suspected site |
| site:developer.mozilla.org JPEG transparency | Domain and topic words | Check whether wording caused a miss |
| "JPEG" "alpha channel" | Phrases without the domain | Test the remembered source site |
Open the page and test its support for the note
For this exercise, return to the MDN image format guide and locate JPEG. Its alpha-channel information supports the limited note; it does not support a claim about every image format whose name begins with J.
Confirm that the page concerns conventional JPEG and matches the actual format under discussion. Snippets can omit qualifications, combine locations or lag behind a changed page. A formal note should cite the page you opened and read, not substitute the snippet for its body.
Turn a candidate into a limited reference
A search snippet contains alpha, so my entire image-format argument is verified.
Open MDN’s JPEG section and record only its supported alpha-channel conclusion.
Save a locator so the next review avoids another search
Keep title, URL, section, checked date and a conclusion in your own words together. If retaining a short quotation, label it as original wording; do not put a translation or paraphrase in quotation marks as though it were verbatim.
A useful card here is “MDN Image file type and format guide → JPEG → alpha-support table, checked 2026-10-22.” This records an observation time, not a permanent archive. See chapter, page and version locators for reading notes for fuller provenance fields.
Three parts of a retrievable note
Conclusion
Conventional JPEG cannot retain alpha transparency; check PNG separately.
Locator
Original URL, JPEG section, alpha-support table and checked date.
Scope
Supports this format statement, not converter behavior, quality or destination approval.
No results is not absence; many matches is not authority
Zero results may reflect an overlong quote, a misremembered domain, a changed page, indexing or access conditions. Broaden clues individually and use site navigation, author pages or publication catalogs when needed. Do not keep adding restrictions merely to isolate a preferred answer.
Repeated wording across many pages may come from one original source rather than independent confirmation. Trace the original publisher. Record a login wall, paywall, removed page or snippet-only access as a limitation instead of claiming to have read the full source.
Complete the source-recovery exercise
- Explain which condition each query changed.
- Open the candidate and verify a limited claim against body text.
- Keep URL, section, date and your own conclusion in one note.
- Mark missing full text or version information rather than inventing certainty.
Common questions
Should I delete a note when a quoted query finds nothing?
Not on that evidence alone. Check wording, language, domain and access. If unresolved, mark the note unverified rather than inventing a reference.
Can site: prove that no page on a website contains a phrase?
No. It restricts a search; it is not a complete content or indexing audit of the website.
Can a repost date be used as the event date?
No. Reposting, the original event, publication and page updates are different dates. Trace and record the relevant original evidence.
