1. Advanced Search, Visualization, and Query Formulation
Master Lesson 2 
Advanced Search, Visualization, and Query Formulation
Created by:
Daniel M Russell, PhD
Tasha Bergson-Michelson
Trent Maverick

2. Tips For Better Searches1
Keep it simple. Describe what you want in as few terms as possible. 2
Think of how the page you want will be written. Use words that are likely to appear on the page. 3
Use descriptive, specific words. Avoid general or common words.
Share with the class three general tips on selecting effective keywords to narrow their search results. 
Ask students to provide examples and counterexamples of each tip. 
Keep it simple. Describe what you want with as few terms as possible.
Think of how the page you want will be written. Use words that are likely to appear on the page.
Use descriptive, specific words. Avoid general or common words.

3. Think Before You Search
What am I looking for?
What do I want? What am I trying to find? What am I trying to find out?
What keywords could I use in my search query?
How would I talk about this?
How would someone else talk about this?
How can I describe this better?
Which of these keywords are common or general words? Which would be more specific? Are there better words I could use?
What kind of results am I looking for?
Do I want a definition, a database, a list, a map, an image, a video, or something else?

4. What Matters In My Search Query?1
Every word matters.
Try searching for [who], [the who], and [a who] .

5. What Matters In My Search Query?1
Every word matters.
Try searching for [who], [the who], and [a who] 2
Order matters.
Try searching for [blue sky] and [sky blue] .

6. What Matters In My Search Query?1
Every word matters.
Try searching for [who], [the who], and [a who] 2
Order matters.
Try searching for [blue sky] and [sky blue] 3
Capitalization does not matter.
Try searching for [barack obama] and [Barack Obama]

7. What Matters In My Search Query?1
Every word matters.
Try searching for [who], [the who], and [a who] 2
Order matters.
Try searching for [blue sky] and [sky blue] 3
Capitalization does not matter.
Try searching for [barack obama] and [Barack Obama] 4
Punctuation does not matter.
Try searching for [red: delicious! apple?] and [red delicious apple]

8. Arrow Navigation: Autocomplete
Navigate among autocomplete suggestions
Try the [elk yellowstone] search, and use the arrow keys to view the “I’m Feeling Lucky” result
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

9. What Matters In My Search Query?1
Every word matters.
Try searching for [who], [the who], and [a who] 2
Order matters.
Try searching for [blue sky] and [sky blue] 3
Capitalization does not matter.
Try searching for [barack obama] and [Barack Obama] 4
Punctuation does not matter.
Try searching for [red: delicious! apple?] and [red delicious apple] *
There are some exceptions!
Can you think of any? Click here for a few examples.

10. Explore Advanced Search
Check out the Advanced Search page with a partner.
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

11. Finding Exact Quotes What poem has this line?
Help me shatter this darkness
How can you fix this search?
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

12. Use " " to Find Exact Quotes
Advanced Search demonstrates how to do it:
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

13. Use " " to Find Exact Quotes
You can do the same thing in Basic Search:
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

14. Searching When You Need Synonyms
Just typing in synonyms brings back pages with both words:
How can you find either/or?
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

15. Use OR to Find Either/Or (or Both)
Advanced Search solution:
Basic Search solution:
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

16. When an Idea Is Getting in the Way
You want to read sites about penguins.
What if you want the animal, not the team?
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

17. Use - to Say NOT that Word
Advanced Search solution
Basic Search solution
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

18. Finding a Particular Type of File
You remember reading on a blog about a wonderful Google 
Earth map of Louis and Clark's expedition. You remember it 
was a .kmz file, but nothing else.
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

19. Use filetype: Advanced Search solution Basic Search solution:
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

20. When You Know the Site, But Not the Page
You want to find OFFICIAL answers about scratches on your iPod.
How do you search only Apple.com for answers?
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

21. Use site: Advanced Search solution: Basic Search solution:
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

22. You Want Numbers Within a Range
You want information on upcoming Olympics.
How do you search for the Olympics in ?
A bit inconvenient?
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

23. Use Number Range (#..#) Advanced Search solution:
Basic Search solution:
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

24. Basic Search's * vs. AROUND and NEAR
Both * and AROUND allow you to ask for search terms that are near each other. 
For example, viewing different versions of Emma Goldam's famous quote:
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

25. AROUND(#) or NEAR(#)
The AROUND operator lets you specify that one search term must be within a specified number of words of another search term. 
This weeds out pages where the terms are both there, but far apart from each other and therefore not related.
For example, Cracked.com published an article claiming that T.S. Eliot plagairized much of "The Waste Land," including stealing a line from Shakepeare:
Eliot: "The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne / Glowed on the marble"
Shakespeare: "The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne / Burn'd on the water."
How would you check out this issue?
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.
Source:

26. Wildcard (*)
Can be used as a substitution for words or letters; Broadens your search
* is used within quotation marks, in the middle of a phrase, to "fill in the blank."
Examples:
Driv*
wom*n
Hon*r (to include honor and honour)
“Harry Potter and the * of fire”
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

27. OR Can be used to search synonyms of a word Examples:
Soldier OR veteran
Cars OR automobiles
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

28. What Would Make Me Happy?
Stop and think for a moment about what your perfect answer will look like:
1. WHO cares about what I care about? Who do I trust to give me the information I need?
2. WHAT words would I use to describe it, what words would my trusted source use? Which would be most common?
3. WHERE would my trusted source publish this information?
4. WHY would someone use one format or another to communicate this information?
5. HOW will I know when I found what I want?
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

29. Think About Using Context Terms
Are there any concepts that describe what you want that would actually appear on the page?
Information about Michael Jackson
[Michael Jackson fan site]  
[Michael Jackson official]
A collection of information about an aspect of science fiction
[science fiction database OR list OR index OR archive]
A more academic look at democracy in South America
[democracy south america bibliography OR “works cited”]
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

30. Try Visualizing IMDB.com [desk set site:imdb.com]
Who are the two main actors in the film Desk Set?
Visualize the source that has the answer.
What is it?
IMDB.com
[desk set site:imdb.com]
Most common wording in articles: “…the movie Desk Set, starring…”
[desk set starring]
A movie poster showing the actors
[desk set] in Google Images
Like English or math, Google Search has particular operators that modify a search query. 
Tell students they will be introduced to seven advanced operators to use in their searches.

31. This lesson was developed by:
Trent Maverick
Tasha Bergson-Michelson
This lesson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike license. You can change it, transmit it, and show it to other people. Just always give credit to Google.com ("Attribution"), and make sure that any works you make based on these lessons are also under the same Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike license ("Share-Alike").

32. This lesson was developed by:
Daniel Russell
Tasha Bergson-Michelson
Trent Maverick
This lesson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike license. You can change it, transmit it, show it to other people. Just always give credit to Google.com ("Attribution"), and make sure that any works you make based on these lessons are also under the same Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike license ("Share-Alike").