Advanced Google Search enables people to search for specific information that pertains to a topic of study, interest, etc., while filtering information that they find irrelevant to their topic.
All of this is accomplished through accessing the Google home page, and clicking the "Advanced Search" button to the side of the main search bar. After this is done, you proceed to fill out the form. On this form, there are many areas you can fill out. The more specific and filtered you want your search, the greater amount you fill in.
The following actions can be taken to narrow your search:
Phrase Search: By putting double quotes around a set of words, you are telling Google to consider the exact words in that exact order without any change.
Search within a specific website: Google allows you to specify that your search results must come from a given website. For example, if you want to find information solely from The New York Times about Iraq, you would type in iraq site: nytimes.com.
Terms you want to exclude: Attaching a minus sign immediately before a word indicates that you do not want pages that contain this word to appear in your results.
Fill in the blanks: If you include * within a query, it tells Google to try to treat the star as a placeholder for any unknown term(s) and then find the best matches.
Search exactly as is: By attaching a + immediately before a word (remember, don't add a space after the +), you are telling Google to match that word with a synonym exactly as you typed it. Putting double quotes around a single word will do the same thing.
The OR operator: If you want to specifically allow either one of several words, you can use the OR operator (note that you have to type 'OR' in ALL CAPS).
Connor Scalleat, Site Engineer of T3CH Help, said about Advanced Google Searching, "I think it is very helpful for finding very specific things. It is really helpful to find something that you know is out there but just isn't being pulled up in the regular search." He sees A.G.A as a very specific engine that allows people to save time researching. However, others, like Ben Hornung, Class of 2014 at Wyoming Seminary, believe that "Google (not the advaced search option) just always finds what [he's] looking for without [him] having to get too specific." He rarely uses the advanced option and often forgets it's available.
The Advanced search option allows individuals to narrow down options and find sources that are reliable and factual in a timely manner. Yet, the promotion of this tool is nearly nonexistent, which causes a lack of use by individuals who might find this convenience most useful . Scalleat stated, "It is great if you know how to use it." Indeed it is great in that manner because it truly emphasizes that specificity is brevity and clarity.
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