Power Searching With Google
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The document provides tips and techniques for effectively using Google as a powerful search engine, emphasizing the importance of keywords, search shortcuts, and operators for refining search results. It offers guidance on filtering information by date and type, as well as using specific commands to obtain accurate data quickly. Additionally, it encourages users to experiment with their searches and seek assistance from the Pickerington Public Library reference staff for further help.
Power Searching With Google
- 1. Power Searching with From the Reference staff at the Pickerington Public Library
- 2. The ultimate search engine • Google is a search engine o But when you use Google's search feature, you aren't searching the Web o You are searching Google's index of the Web (which, for the most part, is the entire Web and its contents) o *Note: if you took Google’s Power Searching classes when they were offered it a few years ago, some of these examples will look familiar. All credit for those examples goes to Google and their instructors – we’re borrowing them because they were too good to let go of!*
- 3. Google can be a powerful tool • Simple search tricks can help you make Google even more powerful in your daily life Basic Tips Search Shortcuts Operators Filtering Results
- 4. Basic Tips • Less is more • Don't worry about these: o Punctuation o Spelling o Capitalization o Special characters (except for #, +, ++) • Control + F o On a Mac, Command + F
- 5. Basic Tips • Effective keywords matter o Use words that will appear on the websites My head hurts vs. headache or migraine • Think in synonyms • Use failed searches to make your searches better • Remember: there are usually multiple ways to get to info, but some ways are faster than others • Google Scholar: use it
- 6. Search Shortcuts • Use these in Google to help find accurate information quickly o movies (your city) o capital of (country, state, or province) o weather (city) or (zip code) o flight and airport codes (HA 24, AA98) o time (place) o illness/condition o medication o calculator/conversions
- 7. Search shortcut - Conversions and Calculations • Google can provide you with automatic calculations and conversions o # of units in units 212 F in C 200 yards in miles 32 C in F o Currency conversions 280 euros in USD 20 USD in pounds
- 8. Search shortcuts - Conversions and Calculations • Unique Conversions o population of Turkey o 15 tablespoons in cups o 20,000 leagues in miles • Calculations o 28.54+56.75 o (23/45)*121 o 12% of 124
- 9. Operators • Operators are considered advanced Google searching techniques o They work on all aspects of Google (images, books, news, etc.) • site: o site:harvard.edu o NASA site:gov o site:gov business workplace accident rates
- 10. Operators • filetype: o filetype:PDF o filetype:KML lewis and clark expedition o filetype:school district tax site:tax.ohio.gov
- 11. Operators • Minus (-) operator o Put this in front of a term you want excluded tesla coil -circuits salsa -dancing salsa -dancing -tomatoes
- 12. Operators • OR operator o always capitalized o adds results to a search o it's an operator, not a filter above OR inground pool • Exact phrase (" ") search o Using " " keeps words together in a search "tesla coil"
- 13. Operators • intext: o use this operator to find text in the middle of a web page site:harvard.edu “astrophysics" intext:Jupiter
- 14. Filtering Results - Images • Filtering by color o Google images search o filter by color; use Search Tools option • "Similar" function when hovering over an image • Sort images by date
- 15. Filtering Results - Date Range • Search Tools is a powerful way to help sort information o Can filter by date range Need a news article from 2008? Want to find information on the NHL playoffs? What about the 2004 Presidential election?
- 16. Final Tips • Combine operators for better searches o Google Earth (KML) files for shipwrecks around Florida, already searched sites floridamarine.org and the_jacobs.org filetype:KML shipwrecks OR "ship wrecks" - site:floridamarine.org -site:the_jacobs.org
- 17. Final Tips • You don't have to get a search right the first time (or the second or third) • Go outside the normal search methods o Add additional terms to a search to help narrow down results
- 18. References Images: • Image: 'old calculator' http://www.flickr.com/ photos/54289096@N00/531566394 • Image: 'Financial gain (38/365)' http://www.flickr.com/ photos/8047705@N02/5427063703 Need more help? Contact us! • 614.837.4104 ext. 233 or email us at pplrefstaff@pickeringtonlibrary.org