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Advanced Search: WebSearch University 2014

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The document discusses advanced search strategies for Google and other search engines. It covers advanced search pages, filters and limits, prefixes, exact searches using phrase marks or operators like "intext:", and special search sources. Advanced techniques include using operators like "site:" to search specific domains or directories, Boolean operators, and searching non-web sources like Google Books, Scholar, or Ngram. The document is intended to teach powerful search skills across Google and other search tools.

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Advanced Search Strategies by Greg R. Notess, greg@notess.com Montana State University SearchEngineShowdown.com Twitter: @notess
• Arstechnica: snipr.com/gdork14 WebSearch University 2014 2
Overview • Advanced Search Pages • Advanced Search Commands • Filters & Limits • Prefixes WebSearch University 2014 3
Remaining Google Advanced Search Pages • Web google.com/advanced_search • Images google.com/advanced_image_search • News news.google.com/news/advanced_news_search • Books google.com/advanced_book_search • Patents google.com/advanced_patent_search • Gone: Groups, Video, Shopping, Blogs (and basic) • Scholar Exists but No Direct Link WebSearch University 2014 4
Filters: Google Search Tools • Tools Vary, Depending on Database – Web Search • Time, Results, Location – Image Search • Size, Color, Type, Time, Usage Rights, More (!?) – News Search • News/Blogs, Time, Sort – Book Search • Any Books, Any Documents, Any Time, Sort – Video Search • Duration, Time, Quality, CC, Source WebSearch University 2014 5
Web Results Search Tools • More Tools When Signed In • Features Have Been Disappearing • “Results” Includes Verbatim, Reading Level – Verbatim: Not Able To Combine With All Features WebSearch University 2014 6
Exact Searches • Exact Search Options: – Verbatim search tool – intext: prefix – “phrase marks” “around” “each” “word or phrase” WebSearch University 2014 7
Phrase Searching • Default Ranking at Google • “most important advanced feature” • Phrase Search or Exact or Precision? • Changing Functionality WebSearch University 2014 8
Not Always Phrase, Exact, or Precise • “linded data” • Google Zero Results: – Gives Alternative Results & Explanation • Bing Zero Results: No Explanation – + Forces Precision and Shows Zero • Other Databases – May Appear to Work but May Not Be Precise – libguides.com Example WebSearch University 2014 9
Punctuation Searching Symbol What you can use it for [+] Search for things like blood type [AB+] or for a Google+ page like [+Chrome] [@] Find social tags like [@google] [&] Find strongly connected ideas and phrases like [A&E] [%] Search for a percent value like [40% of 80] [$] Indicate prices, like [nikon $400] [#] Search for trending topics indicated by hashtags like [#lifewithoutgoogle] [-] Indicate that words around it are strongly connected like [twelve-year-old dog] [_] Connect two words like [quick_sort]. Your search results will find this pair of words either linked together (quicksort) or connected by an underscore (quick_sort). • support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433 WebSearch University 2014 10
Shortcuts to Advanced Search PREFIXES WebSearch University 2014 11
Prefix Syntax • Typically prefix:queryword – No Spaces • site: edu Searches Both Words – Some Support Phrase Search (But Not All) • Most (Not All) Advanced Features Have Prefixes WebSearch University 2014 12
Google All In vs. In Prefix • allintitle: vs. intitle: • Note that the “allin….” prefixes mean – All following words will be in that field – Cannot be combined with other terms, most of the time • The “in…” fields like intitle and intext, support phrase syntax – intext:“advanced search” WebSearch University 2014 13
Web Search Prefixes site: TLD, domain, computer name, & directory filetype: Try almost any file extension link: Shows some links to a specific URL cache: Followed by URL for cached copy of a page info: id: For a URL: links to cache, related, links, site search, & term matches related: Pages similar to URL based on link patterns WebSearch University 2014 14
Unlisted Web Prefixes The following are no longer listed in Google help but still appear to work for now intext: allintext: Words in body; not URLs, title, or inbound links intitle: allintitle: Words in the HTML title element inurl: allinurl: Words within a URL (domain, directories, file name) inanchor: Words within anchor text on a page WebSearch University 2014 15
Google Book Search intitle: Book title words inauthor: Author names inpublisher: Publisher words subject: Old advanced search form; does not include all books isbn: enter with no space or punctuation; ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 issn: enter 8 digits with no space or dash WebSearch University 2014 16
Google Scholar author: Instead of inauthor: (or use advanced search) intitle: allintitle: For allintitle: can also use advanced search form & combine Other Web Prefixes Also Work intext: filetype: site: WebSearch University 2014 17
site: Search • TLD Required – site:tld OR site:company.tld OR site:sub-area. company.tld • Expanded to Include Directories (Google) – site:imf.org/external/pubs • To WWW or Not To WWW – Compare site:imf.org/external/pubs to site:www.imf.org/external/pubs – Can Have >1 site: Operator per Query WebSearch University 2014 18
SPECIAL SOURCES & TECHNIQUES WebSearch University 2014 19
Other Google Operators • Numrange – 5..8.34 – numrange:5-8.34 – "library fines" site:edu $101..$150 • Wildcard Word in a Phrase – * Represents One (or More) Word(s) – "a wealth of information creates * attention“ – Quotes Not Required WebSearch University 2014 20
Other Google Search Sites • Table Search – research.google.com/tables • NGRAM Search – books.google.com/ngrams – Updated through 2008 WebSearch University 2014 21
Dan Russell • Anthropologist of Search • MOOC: powersearchingwithgoogle.com • Blog: searchresearch1.blogspot.com WebSearch University 2014 22
Questions? “Search well, be wise” -Aeschylus Greg R. Notess, greg@notess.com Twitter: @notess WebSearch University 2014 23

More Related Content

Advanced Search: WebSearch University 2014

  • 1. Advanced Search Strategies by Greg R. Notess, greg@notess.com Montana State University SearchEngineShowdown.com Twitter: @notess
  • 2. • Arstechnica: snipr.com/gdork14 WebSearch University 2014 2
  • 3. Overview • Advanced Search Pages • Advanced Search Commands • Filters & Limits • Prefixes WebSearch University 2014 3
  • 4. Remaining Google Advanced Search Pages • Web google.com/advanced_search • Images google.com/advanced_image_search • News news.google.com/news/advanced_news_search • Books google.com/advanced_book_search • Patents google.com/advanced_patent_search • Gone: Groups, Video, Shopping, Blogs (and basic) • Scholar Exists but No Direct Link WebSearch University 2014 4
  • 5. Filters: Google Search Tools • Tools Vary, Depending on Database – Web Search • Time, Results, Location – Image Search • Size, Color, Type, Time, Usage Rights, More (!?) – News Search • News/Blogs, Time, Sort – Book Search • Any Books, Any Documents, Any Time, Sort – Video Search • Duration, Time, Quality, CC, Source WebSearch University 2014 5
  • 6. Web Results Search Tools • More Tools When Signed In • Features Have Been Disappearing • “Results” Includes Verbatim, Reading Level – Verbatim: Not Able To Combine With All Features WebSearch University 2014 6
  • 7. Exact Searches • Exact Search Options: – Verbatim search tool – intext: prefix – “phrase marks” “around” “each” “word or phrase” WebSearch University 2014 7
  • 8. Phrase Searching • Default Ranking at Google • “most important advanced feature” • Phrase Search or Exact or Precision? • Changing Functionality WebSearch University 2014 8
  • 9. Not Always Phrase, Exact, or Precise • “linded data” • Google Zero Results: – Gives Alternative Results & Explanation • Bing Zero Results: No Explanation – + Forces Precision and Shows Zero • Other Databases – May Appear to Work but May Not Be Precise – libguides.com Example WebSearch University 2014 9
  • 10. Punctuation Searching Symbol What you can use it for [+] Search for things like blood type [AB+] or for a Google+ page like [+Chrome] [@] Find social tags like [@google] [&] Find strongly connected ideas and phrases like [A&E] [%] Search for a percent value like [40% of 80] [$] Indicate prices, like [nikon $400] [#] Search for trending topics indicated by hashtags like [#lifewithoutgoogle] [-] Indicate that words around it are strongly connected like [twelve-year-old dog] [_] Connect two words like [quick_sort]. Your search results will find this pair of words either linked together (quicksort) or connected by an underscore (quick_sort). • support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433 WebSearch University 2014 10
  • 11. Shortcuts to Advanced Search PREFIXES WebSearch University 2014 11
  • 12. Prefix Syntax • Typically prefix:queryword – No Spaces • site: edu Searches Both Words – Some Support Phrase Search (But Not All) • Most (Not All) Advanced Features Have Prefixes WebSearch University 2014 12
  • 13. Google All In vs. In Prefix • allintitle: vs. intitle: • Note that the “allin….” prefixes mean – All following words will be in that field – Cannot be combined with other terms, most of the time • The “in…” fields like intitle and intext, support phrase syntax – intext:“advanced search” WebSearch University 2014 13
  • 14. Web Search Prefixes site: TLD, domain, computer name, & directory filetype: Try almost any file extension link: Shows some links to a specific URL cache: Followed by URL for cached copy of a page info: id: For a URL: links to cache, related, links, site search, & term matches related: Pages similar to URL based on link patterns WebSearch University 2014 14
  • 15. Unlisted Web Prefixes The following are no longer listed in Google help but still appear to work for now intext: allintext: Words in body; not URLs, title, or inbound links intitle: allintitle: Words in the HTML title element inurl: allinurl: Words within a URL (domain, directories, file name) inanchor: Words within anchor text on a page WebSearch University 2014 15
  • 16. Google Book Search intitle: Book title words inauthor: Author names inpublisher: Publisher words subject: Old advanced search form; does not include all books isbn: enter with no space or punctuation; ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 issn: enter 8 digits with no space or dash WebSearch University 2014 16
  • 17. Google Scholar author: Instead of inauthor: (or use advanced search) intitle: allintitle: For allintitle: can also use advanced search form & combine Other Web Prefixes Also Work intext: filetype: site: WebSearch University 2014 17
  • 18. site: Search • TLD Required – site:tld OR site:company.tld OR site:sub-area. company.tld • Expanded to Include Directories (Google) – site:imf.org/external/pubs • To WWW or Not To WWW – Compare site:imf.org/external/pubs to site:www.imf.org/external/pubs – Can Have >1 site: Operator per Query WebSearch University 2014 18
  • 19. SPECIAL SOURCES & TECHNIQUES WebSearch University 2014 19
  • 20. Other Google Operators • Numrange – 5..8.34 – numrange:5-8.34 – "library fines" site:edu $101..$150 • Wildcard Word in a Phrase – * Represents One (or More) Word(s) – "a wealth of information creates * attention“ – Quotes Not Required WebSearch University 2014 20
  • 21. Other Google Search Sites • Table Search – research.google.com/tables • NGRAM Search – books.google.com/ngrams – Updated through 2008 WebSearch University 2014 21
  • 22. Dan Russell • Anthropologist of Search • MOOC: powersearchingwithgoogle.com • Blog: searchresearch1.blogspot.com WebSearch University 2014 22
  • 23. Questions? “Search well, be wise” -Aeschylus Greg R. Notess, greg@notess.com Twitter: @notess WebSearch University 2014 23