Intro

• This interface is rarely used by the vast majority of the public.
• It does, though, provide relatively powerful search functionality, though nowhere near that available in the licensed commercial databases from Gale, EBSCO, ProQuest, or Dialog.

Search Functionality

The large and expanding range of search functionality can be seen on two Cheatsheets are available online and which are worth downloading: Google's own: http://www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html, and one from GoogleGuide: http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators_reference.html

• Default search: words are "ANDed" in the "with all of the words" entry field.
• "OR" (capitalized) can be used between two or more words and/or phrases in the "with all the words" entry field (eg. internet OR web) or by entering the words in the "with at least one of the words" entry field.
• "NOT" is achieved by putting words in the "without the words" entry field.
• Searching for synonyms: Placing the tilde ( ~ ) in front of a word forces a search on the word and its synonyms (that is, if synonyms exist in the datbase for the entered term).
• Phrase searchng can be done by surrounding a series of words by double quotes ( " " ).
• Field searching can be done in the "with all of the words" entry field by use of the field types below or by specifying the field in the "Occurrences: Return results where my terms occur entry field" pulldown menu.
  • Example field types:
    • filetype:xxx - File types can be .pdf, .doc, .xls, and more.
    • intitle:xxx - Word(s) in a Web page title.
    • allintitle:xxx - Word(s) in a Web page title.
    • allintext:xxx - In the text of a Web page.
• You also have a variety of ways of limiting the search, including:
  • Examples in the "with all of the words" entry field:
    • site:xxx - Web site address
    • domain:xxx - Type of domain such as .edu, .mil, .gov, .com, .edu
  • Examples using pulldown menus:
    • Date - Relatively limited functionality.
    • File Format - Limit to such formats as Word (.doc), Acrobat (.pdf), Excel (.xls), and PowerPoint (.ppt).
    • Language - Limit to one of a couple dozen languages.
    • Domain - Limit to a domain type or an entire domain name (such as "sjsu.edu").

References on Searching

Be sure to read all three of these, as they each offer information on tools that can facilitate more effective and efficient searching.

• Basics of Search - http://www.google.com/help/basics.html
• Advanced Search Made Easy - http://www.google.com/help/refinesearch.html
• Google Web Search Features - http://www.google.com/help/features.html

Advanced Search Interface

• http://www.google.com/advanced_search