The #1 search engine used by students is Google, but too many students don't know how to maximize their search results and minimize the amount of time spent searching. So below is a list of search operators that will make your searches much more efficient.
Or, if you prefer, just get in the habit of going to Google Advanced Search (google.com/advanced_search) and fill in the blanks provided there instead of using the operators below.
- Looking for an exact phrase?
Put quotation marks (" ") around a search term of two or more words to search for the exact phrase.
Example: I want to learn about the federal poverty level without all of the websites that just happen to make references to federal, or to poverty, or to level in other contexts.
"federal poverty level"
- Want to exclude some of the irrelevant search results you're seeing?
Put a minus symbol (-) in front of the undesired search term(s).
Example: I want to find information about salsa, the spicy or flavorful sauce/condiment but keep getting websites about the dance.
salsa -dance -class -rhythm
- Want to expand your search terms to broaden the results?
Put a capital OR between the search terms; the OR operator must be capitalized for Google to recognize it as a search operator.
Example: I need to look up some information about training my newly adopted pet dog but I know trainers often use the term puppy because training often happens when the dogs are young.
pets training dogs OR puppies
- Want to limit your search to results from a specific website?
Add site: to your search.
Example: I signed up for a free subscription to The New York Times through the SCCC Library website and I want to see all of the articles that The New York Times has published about the potential dangers of AI.
"artificial intelligence" OR ai dangers site:nytimes.com
Or, for example, if you only want results that come from college and university websites, you could use this operator site:edu which will bring you only URLs that end in .edu.
- Looking for results in only one specific file type?
Add filetype: to your search.
Example: I'm tired of finding great articles online only to see they're behind a firewall or in a file type I cannot open. I want to find results for my search about the history of boycotts in the U.S. that are only in pdf format.
boycott history U.S. OR "united states" OR america filetype:pdf