Refining Web Searches With Precision

While there is a general belief that Google knows the answers to everything, some questions require precise answers. A biologist might not be looking for all of the articles ever posted about goldfish, or someone looking for information on the flight patterns of cranes will not want articles about construction cranes.

Including search operators is a way to adjust future searches to provide more precise results.

For this example, a researcher is looking for information about the color differences in beetles.

And or Quotation Mark Operators

Using quotation marks around a phrase will ensure that the results will contain those words exactly as they appear in the search. In the example above, the search engine will recall options that have the phrase “color differences” with the two words in the order that they are typed. The results will not include entries where the words color or differences appear on their own. By adding “and beetle” to the ends of the search, this guarantees that the results will also have separate mentions of beetles. 

Or Operator

Adding the term “or” with synonyms will allow the search engine to produce results with either term. This is specifically helpful for topics that have multiple names or the searcher is casting a broad net for information. In the example above, using the “or” operator will produce results about “color” or “beetles.” These results above will not fit the use of the researcher, as their topic is not about cars or crayons. The search engine is not wrong for recalling these results, however the researcher is looking for a narrow topic so their search must be narrow as well.

Not or – Operators

Using not or “-” refinement can be helpful in cases where terms have multiple meanings or could recall many results that are unnecessary to the project at hand. Searching the terms “color beetles -car” or “color beetles not car” will produce results that do not have the mention of the vehicle type. Some searches require more information in order to recall the appropriate results.

These tips work with many different search engines like Google or research databases. Sufficient results can always be found, and operators can help search engines find the right results for every project.

-Jess, Reference Department