This guide provides links and resources to help you get the most out of using Google. Stop by the Research Center or contact us if you need further help or would like to speak with a librarian about using Google more effectively.
| If you want to.... | Use... | Example |
| Search for an exact phrase | quotation marks | "immigration reform" |
| Search for a word and its synonyms | tilde mark | music ~lyrics |
| Exclude words from your search | hyphen or minus | Martin Luther -King |
| Get results that contain either word/phrase | OR | "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar" OR "Lew Alcindor" |
| Have Google fill in the blank or finish a word | asterisk | "like a rolling stone" was written by* |
| Get a definition of a word or abbreviation | "define:" | define: folk music |
| Search by a specific site or domain | "site:" | site:.gov climate change | site:.wsj.com business report |
| Search related sites | "related:" | related:time.com |
| Search within a URL | "inurl:" | inurl:autism |
| Search for a specific file type | "filetype:" | educational technology filetype:pdf |
| Search popular hashtags from trending topics | hashtag | #election2016 |
| Search social tags | at sign | @osubuckeyes |
| Make conversions and do math calculations | ____ in ____ | 250 euros in US dollars | 20 degress C in F |
Google's Advanced Search provides more options than the familiar one-box. You can limit your search to:
Google Scholar searches for articles, patents, and legal documents. Be aware that what Google considers "scholarly" may not necessarily fit the typical definition. (You may want to review our guides to Evaluating Resources before searching Google Scholar.)
Here are some things to look for when searching Google Scholar:
Also check out the Google Scholar Search Tips.
More Google Tools