How to Search Google

1. How to Search Google Like a Librarian

2. All Search Terms Count • All search terms count; for example, “compact fold-up bicycle” • A search in Google will find all pages containing the words “compact” and “fold-up” and “bicycle”. • You don’t need to include the word “and” in-between your search terms; when searching Google the “and” is implied, this is called an “implicit and”. • Sometimes Google will pull up pages that do not contain your search terms; these pages are brought up because your search terms are included in the linked text to another page.

3. Search Terms Match Up Exactly • “Google simply matches strings of characters together and doesn’t currently base inferences on uses of the language. Although this method has some drawbacks, it harnesses one of the fabulous powers of computers, the ability to shift through enormous heaps of data quickly and accurately” Ned Frelden (Internet Research, 2nded).

4. Search Terms Match Up Exactly

5. Search Terms Match Up Exactly • However Google will find pages that include synonyms, for example

6. Similar Words Match • Google will automatically find pages that contain words that are similar to some or all of your search terms, for example

7. Similar Words Match • Google calls this function “word variations” or “automatic stemming”. Stemming is a technique to search on the stem or root of a word that has multiple endings. • If you want to only search for pages that contain the search term or terms exactly, you will need to put quotations marks around the word or words, for example “child” and “how to bake an apple pie”.

8. Stop Words • Some common words are considered “stop words” in Google; stop words generally don’t add meaning to the search terms. • Stop words are for example; the, on, where, how, de, la and certain single digits and letters. • If you are using Google to search for, What to read for a London tourist. • Because this search includes stop words, Google will only look for pages that contain “read” and “London tourist”. • If you want Google to search all of your terms you will need to surround your search phrase with quotation marks.

9. Word Limit • Google limits search queries to 32 words. Google will indicate a message below the search box if your search exceeds the 32-word limit; this limit does not apply to stop words. • Also please note it does not apply to search operators and indicators.

10. Terms Nearby • Google tends to favor pages that have your search terms near each other; normally this proximity will be within a page. • For example the search for “snake grass” will pull up pages about a plant. If you search for a “snake in the grass” Google tends to pull up pages about sneaky people. Although “in” and “the” are stop words; Google will actually pull up pages in which snake and grass are separated by at least two words.

11. Terms in Order • Google tends to pull up pages that have terms in the same order as your query.

12. Not Case-Sensitive • Google is not case-sensitive, it will pull up results which are both upper and lower case. • The only words that need to be upper case are your search operators OR and AND.

13. Characters Ignored • Google ignores some punctuation and special characters; for example • Punctuation is not as important as your search terms, however there exceptions such as C++.

14. Apostrophes • Google will match words with an apostrophe with words with an apostrophe.

15. Hyphenated Terms • Because people vary on how they enter hyphenated words Google will search both hyphen and spaced words. For example

16. Crafting your Query with Special Characters • Quoted Phrases • To search for a phrase, a proper name, or a set of words in a specific order you need to put them in double quotes. • Using quotes ensure that you will be pulling up pages containing the exact quoted phrase. • Instructors can use quoted phrases to detect plagiarism by entering the exact phrase from a student’s paper into the search box with quotations surrounding it.

17. Crafting your Query with Special Characters • The – Operator • Precede each word you don’t want to appear in any result with a “-” sign. Do not insert a space between the “-” and the word you want to exclude.

18. Crafting your Query with Special Characters • The ~ Operator • Find synonyms by preceding the term with a “~”, which is known as the tilde or synonym operator. • The “~” operator takes the word immediately following it and searches both that specific word or the word’s synonyms.

19. Crafting your Query with Special Characters • The OR or “|” Operator • If you want Google to pull up pages containing any instead of all of your search terms, use the OR or “|” operator. • The OR or “|” operator applies to the search terms immediately adjacent to it. • The OR needs to be in upper case, if not Google will treat it as a search term not as an operator.

20. Crafting your Query with Special Characters • The .. Operator • Specify that results contain numbers in a range by specifying two numbers, separated by two periods, with no spaces.

21. Crafting your Query with Special Characters • The * Operator • Use of the “*” character, known as a wildcard. The “*” operator is used to match one or more words in a phrase. • Google treats this as a place holder for a word or more then one word.

22. Advanced Search • When you don’t find what you are looking for in Google’s basic search, try using the Advanced Search option. • The advanced search will allow you to tell Google specifically what you are looking for; it will allow you to select or exclude pages with more precision than Google’s basic search box.