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Google Search

This guide provides a description of how Google's search feature works and how users can get the search engine to work for them.

Accessing Google's Advanced Search:

  1. To access Advanced Search for a Google Search, begin with your search query or a keyword you want to use in your search query. 
  2. From the results page, select "Settings."
  3. From the drop down menu beneath "Settings," select "Advanced Search."

Restricting Keywords:

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On the "Advanced Search" page of Google's search engine, you can further define your search question.

"Advanced Search" allows you to search exact words (spellings) or phrases, add additional keywords (words important to your search question), omit words that may be related to your topic but not to your information need, and add numerical elements such as weight, cost, etc.

For help finding keywords for your research question, check out the HCTC Library Orientation and Research Guide's Choose Your Topic page.

For further help determining keywords for your research question, check out HCTC Library's No Results: Stuck in the Search Loop guide's Rethinking Your Search page.

 

Domains:

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One element of any search is to restrict the type of websites your search question requires. Using "Advanced Search" a user can limit the websites shown in their results to .gov, .edu, .org, etc. Different types of websites may contain varying levels of trustworthy information. 

Main Types of Domain Suffixes
.com Commercial Site
.org Non-profit Organization (Traditionally)
.net Network
.gov Government Website
.edu Educational Institution
.mil Military Website

Websites originating in countries other than the United States may have unique domain suffixes to their country.

For more help determining the authority of online sources, check out HCTC Library's Evaluating Sources' Authority page.

 

Usage Rights:

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Usage rights dictate the required use of a website's content. A user may search by the ability to freely share the content they find, modify it for academic purposes, or modify it for commercial use (typically profit).

Internet content is covered by copyright laws as it is a tangible format of an idea. Copying and pasting from websites and passing that information off as your own is illegal and may carry penalties.

For help using information ethically, check out the HCTC Library Orientation and Research Guide's Cite Your Sources.