DMI Workshop: When Search Becomes Research
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This document discusses using Google search as a research tool. It provides examples of query design using advanced search operators to explore issues. Some examples include comparing results from searches that include or exclude specific sites, and searching for "rights" in different languages to analyze how rights issues vary by country. The document also provides a research protocol for using Google search consistently, including logging out of accounts and clearing browser history. It suggests saving and organizing search results to allow verification and retrieval later.
DMI Workshop: When Search Becomes Research
- 1. When Search Becomes Research – Part I Query design Anat Ben-David Science, Technology and Society, Bar-Ilan University anatbd@gmail.com Erik Borra Digital Methods Initiative, University of Amsterdam erik@digitalmethods.net
- 2. When Search Becomes Research Turning Google into a research tool “We look at Google search results and see society, instead of Google” (Rogers, Stevenson, Weltevrede 2009)
- 3. Words/keywords When words become “issue language” Actors and their terminology: Keywords as positioning efforts Note program, anti-program as well as efforts at net neutrality (Cf. Akrich & Latour, 1992)
- 4. Keywords and source sets “side by sidedness” offical / non-official … different kinds of actors (living side by side) in an issue map. (Rogers, 2004)
- 10. example: Program / anti-program How is the issue of “google street view” and privacy is being treated when google- related sites are excluded from the search? 1. “Google street view” +privacy 33,100,000 results 2. “Google street view” +privacy site:google.* 1,840 results 3. “Google street view” +privacy –site:google.* 36,000,000 results
- 11. search/research Search operators and syntax Use, for example: +, ~, OR, NOT, SITE:, “” See, for example: http://www.googleguide.com/category/query- input/
- 12. example: Program / anti-program A query design example using advanced operators: • “~Cellular Phone” + “brain tumor” + “not associated” • “~Cellular Phone” + “brain tumor” + “270%” • Compare two queries across different actors. Add “site:.edu”, “site:.com”, .”site:.org”, etc.
- 13. search/research Research protocol For using Google Google Settings: • For the “universal Google” go to http://google.com/ncr or http:// google.com/intl/en • Log out of your Gmail account • Google preferences: Set interface and search language SafeSearch: Off Google Instant: Off Nr of Results: 100 per page
- 14. search/research Research protocol For using Google Clean browser • Log out • Clear cookies and the browser’s search history • Or: create a “research browser” (i.e. install a new one) “Turning off search history personalization”
- 15. example: Program / anti-program A query design example using advanced operators: • “~Cellular Phone” + “brain tumor” + “not associated” • “~Cellular Phone” + “brain tumor” + “270%” • Compare two queries across different actors. Add “site:.edu”, “site:.com”, .”site:.org”, etc.
- 16. Example: nationality of issues: Rights types Can the search engine be repurposed to show which rights are specific per country? Method 1. Query the term "rights" in national terminology per different Google country (e.g. ‘droits’ in .fr, ‘rechten’ in .nl) 2. Fetch the top 10 unique rights types. 3. Visualize top 10 issues per country and mark unique issues. https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NationalityofIssues
- 18. search/research Research protocol Saving results for verification and retrieval • “Save page as” in the browser, name files and folder consistently • Collect right types in spreadsheet (incl. translation) • Merge results and collect saved files in one place
- 23. search/research Questions and related tools Using Lippmannian Device aka Google scraper: Resonance of controversial terms • What are the relevant issues in the controversy? • Where do controversial terms resonate?
- 24. EXAMPLE: CLIMATE CHANGE SKEPTICS Where do the skeptics get “air time”? Where are their audiences? BBC cancels ‘Planet Relief’ program about environmental issues “The only reason why this became an issue is that there is a small but vociferous group of climate ‘skeptics’ lobbying agains taking action” - BBC News, 5 september 2007 https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/ClimateChangeSkeptics
- 25. example: climate change skeptics Query design: What are the sources? Top 100 results for the query “climate change” http://www.google.com/search?q="climate+change"&num=100
- 26. example: climate change skeptics Query design: What are the issues? Derive list of climate change skeptics Sources: motherjones.com, wikipedia.org, heartland.org Compare the three lists and retain the skeptics that are mentioned in at least two of the lists
- 27. example: climate change skeptics Skeptics S. Fred Singer Robert Balling Sallie Baliunas Patrick Michaels Richard Lindzen Steven Milloy Timothy Ball Paul Driessen Willie Soon Sherwood B. Idso Frederick Seitz
- 28. example: climate change skeptics Google Scraper: Batch query Google http://tools.issuecrawler.net/beta/scrapeGoogle Enter sources in the top box Enter keywords in the bottom box (mind the quotes) Click “scrape Google”
- 29. Warning: excessive usage will bring this tool down Make sure to pay attention to query design Body Text Body text
- 40. Recap Steps in method Question Query design Google or Google Scraper Tag clouds