Seeley G. Mudd Library | Internet Resource Center | Search the 'Net | Summary Chart

Selected Search Tools for the WWW: A Guide

Google

Google has emerged as a very simple yet powerful search tool for the Web. Google's simplicity lies in its search interface; the default search is the Boolean and search, with no truncation, and no recognition of capitalization.

You can include stopwords in a search with a plus sign, as in

world war +i

peanut -butter

Phrases can be searched in Google by enclosing them in quotation marks.

The Google Advanced Search form automates a variety of searches, including searches for all the words you type (Boolean and), exact phrases, any of the words you type (Boolean or), or without the words you type (Boolean not). The page for Other Ways to Google provides some very nice additional features, especially the searches for U.S. Government sites. See the pages at Google Help Central and Google Language Tools for even more options.

Google's power comes from both the extent of the database and its method of ranking results. Google sorts results and presents them based on the number of links created to each site. This means, of course, that newer sites will be slower to turn up at the top of Google's results lists. However, many searchers do find that relevant sites turn up more easily in Google.

Google Image Search includes its own help, and a separate Advanced Image Search. Google also provides a Google Web Directory with its own separate help. Directory sites are reviewed and classified by the volunteer editors of the Open Directory Project. For more information, including help screens, see the page for All About Google.

Click here to search Google
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Created: 16 September 2000
Updated: 9 August 2002

Gretchen Revie, Reference Librarian, Seeley G. Mudd Library
Lawrence University, PO Box 599, Appleton, WI 54912 (920) 832-7000