Google is a massive search engine that indexes all available information from the web on a given word or phrase and sorts them for relevance using algorithms. The results are not refined by experts and the information's reliability can be in question. When using Google to search for materials supporting your research, it's important to be especially careful to evaluate the sources for quality.
- What does Google track? What does it know about you?This article explains what Google knows about you from your search history and what it does with that information. It offers Duck Duck Go as an alternative and reviews it's effectiveness.
Google Tips
- To use boolean search terms (AND, OR, NOT).
- Google implies "and" when you search. So, if you type Tom Jerry, it assumes Tom and Jerry.
- Google only recognizes "OR" when it is capitalized.
- Instead of NOT, Google uses a minus sign. So, Chicago NOT New York would be Chicago - New York.
- Use quotation marks to indicate words that should be grouped together, like "Wyatt Earp."
- To direct Google to search for specific domain types, type "site:".For instance: global warming site:.gov
- Google Advanced SearchUse this to limit searches to .gov or .org, to tell Google what words to NOT search, limit your search by date range, language, and file type (.pdf, .doc, .jpeg, etc.)
- Google Scholar
Abstracts are freely available for most of the articles. If the entire article isn't available, contact a librarian to request it for FREE.
Google vs. Google Scholar vs. Library Databases
Google Pros:
- Searches everything indexed on the web.
- Google's algorithms rank results based on relevance.
- Particularly useful for official and primary sources like government websites.
Google Cons:
- Many links are sponsored.
- More difficult to determine the reliability of sources.
- Content is not organized by experts.
- More difficult to find scholarly resources.
Google Scholar Pros:
- A broad range of scholarly sources are indexed.
- Easy to use for those familiar with Google.
- It's possible to set up library access links in settings.
Google Scholar Cons:
- No full text access to most articles.
- Filters are quite limited.
- Content is not organized by experts
Library Database Pros
- All material is organized by subjects making searching effective
- All material is freely available either instantly or via interlibrary loan
- Search features are highly customizable to narrow by subjects, dates, geography, dates, and more