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BECOME A POW!er SEARCHER: ABOUT GOOGLE

Intro

Better queries = Better results

Short tutorials!

GOOGLE BASICS 1
GOOGLE BASICS 2
GOOGLE ADVANCED 1

 

Boolean Operators and Google

Both databases and search engines use the 3 Boolean operators and, or, not, but they use them differently. You must learn them.

Here is how you use the 3 operators in Google.

AND (click for example) - All the search terms must appear in the results entries
Google uses the implicit "and" because it is assumes you want all the words in your query.
You do not need to write the operator.
["climate change" canada]

OR (click for example) - Either one of the terms on either side of the operator will be searched
In Google you must capitalize OR. If you don't it will be seen as a dead word.
["global warming" OR "climate change"]

NOT (click for example) Excludes a term you don't want in your results
Use the minus sign attached to the word to be excluded from your results. 
[depression -treatments]

Search Tips

[define:x] will search for online definitions of your term.

E.g., [define:tube(click).

The result will be shown in a box at the top of your search results.

 

Add the word [study] or [research] or ["primary sources"] (click) to your query to focus your search on primary sources.

Add [table] or [statistics] or [graph] or [spreadsheet] to retrieve statistical information.

'ctl F' (PC) or 'command F' (mac)' finds the occurrence of a word in a page.

'ctl G' (PC) or 'command G' (mac) finds the next occurrence in a page (or use the 'enter' key).

My Google Search Tips


https://docs.google.com/a/asparis.fr/presentation/d/1JFaDwf3_mHVe-O0lqlGRibCD_Hv6zle58YsbUcanzDM/present?slide=id.i89

Advanced Searching

"phrase searching" (click for example)

To find phrases put the search terms between double quotation marks. The terms will be searched as is, in the order they appear between the quotation marks. Search engines accept phrase searching.

E.g., "eating disorders", "once upon a time", "american school of paris"

site:x (click for example)
Use [site:x] i
n Google to restrict your search to specified sites.

E.g.

Domain extensions: [site:edu][site:gov], etc.
Country extensions: [site:ca], [site:fr], etc.
Full sites: [site:youtube.com], [site:nytimes.com], etc.

filetype:x (click for example)
Using [filetype:x] will restrict your results to the desired file format.

E.g.

Flash file: [filetype:swf]
Document type: [filetype:pdf], [filetype:jpg], [filetype:ppt, etc.

 

You can limit your search to sites with a specific word in the title.

E.g.

[intitle:"eating habits"] will find the phrase "eating habits" in the title of the web site. (click for example).

Get More Out of Google

Created by: HackCollege

Slide Presentation

Slide presentation from a workshop given by
Google's Tasha Bergson-Michelson.

Google Resources

STATS
Hitwise - stats

HOW TO
How Search Works (video by Google)

Power Searching (slides)

Learn How to Search (lessons by Google)

Credibility: Truth & Trust on the Web (2011 slideshow by Google)

GOOGLE SITES
A Google A Day challenge (test your skills)

Google Art Project

Google Doodles

Official Google Blog

POSTER
Get more out of Google (infographic)

ARTICLE
Is Google making us stupid (from Nicholas Carr)

This aforemention article was first published inThe Atlantic in 2008 was the genesis to his book The Shallows, What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brain (2010). 

The Shallows certainly gives a modern twist to McLuhan's the medium is the message!