Surf the Web Smarter: Ten Tools for Surfing Google Smarter  Tags: enewsletter google web help  

Surf the Web Smarter is a monthly eNewsletter created by NASA Glenn Technical Library.

2008, vol. 1, issue 1

Index of eNewsletters 

1. Journal of Physical ChemistryC
2. Applied Physics Letters
3. Science Online
4. Langmuir
5. Journal of Physics D
6. Journal of Applied Physics
7. AIAA Journal
8. Journal of Physical ChemistryB
9. Nanotechnology
10. Chemistry of Materials

* By online and print usage.  Does not include items accessed through databases such as IEEE Explore or AIAA papers.  For a complete list of Journals available to Glenn visit our webpage.

Indicates subscriptions available to Glenn personnel only.

How well do you know Google? Try the Google Quiz

  If you are like most people today, you probably visit Google at least once a day to find information.  You may try searches again and again, changing your search terms until you get what you are looking for.  Maybe you browse the first few pages of results and end up choosing the "good enough" option instead of the best option.  There is a better way!  Using some of the simple tips here you can decrease your search time and increase the accuracy of your results.  Any 3rd grader can type a word in and get 3 million results!  What you need is the best hit right now.  Get to know Google to become a Smart Surfer. 

10 Tools to Surf Google Smarter:

10:  Case Sensitivity

Google is NOT case sensitive

hello, Hello, HELLO, and hEllO will all yield the same results

9:  Exact Phrase

  Use “ “ to search for webpages where an exact phrase occur.  Google does not search common words (called "stop" words) like the, a, or to.  In the example below the quotations force Google to include those terms.

# 8:  Boolean Search

Google automatically does and AND search.  For example searching for rivers salinity will search for pages with the words rivers AND salinity.

If you want pages that include rivers, salinity, or rivers and salinity, use the OR operator.  OR (can also use | ) IS case sensitive:  OR works, or does not.

For NOT or exclusion from a search, Google uses – with no space before the excluded word.

Combine Boolean Operators with parentheses – Google only recognizes one level of parentheses, you can not “nest” parenthetical operations.

# 7:  Synonyms

Google uses the tilde ~ for synonyms

~auto 

# 6:  Site Search

Search only pages within a specific website.  This is a great way to get around a site with no search or a poor search function - use Google to search it!

Must be used in conjunction with your search term.

# 5:  Date Range

Google will search for your keyword with reference to the specified date range. Use in conjunction with your search term.

# 4:  Link Search

Search for pages that link to a particular website. This can provide you with related pages as well as give you information on the authority of the page.  If reputable sites link to a page it is more likely to be a reputable site and less likely to be you crazy neighbor Ned's page.

Can be used in conjunction with a search term or alone.

or 

# 3:  Math and Conversions

Google recognizes many natural language requests for conversions and abbreviations for common units.  Just type it like you would say it out loud.

or

Google also has advanced math functions.

or

or

For more information, try the Google Calculator complete help pages: http://www.google.com/help/calculator.html

# 2:  Related Pages Search

Finds pages related to the specified page.

# 1:  Definition Search

Search for definitions of your term on the web.

Glenn Technical Library offers InterLibrary Loan.

This service allows the Glenn Library to borrow books for a short time from other libraries and vice versa.  If you are looking for an item that we don't own, fill out a Request (Glenn only) for the item.  And the best part?  In most cases borrowing the item will not cost you a penny!  We also take purchasing recommendations, so, if you like a book and think your colleagues would enjoy it also, fill out a Purchase Recommendation Request (Glenn only).

 For more time - and money - saving services, contact the Library.