Skip to Main Content

COMM111 Susan Martin-WI23

Internet Searching Steps

Some things to think about when using the internet for searching:

  • Lots of results can be overwhelming - make sure your keywords are really good, and use some of the tips below.
  • Don't pay for things you find - order them from the library.
  • Make sure you EVALUATE - since anyone can post anything, some information is not credible or reliable. Use CRAP on the "What are 'credible sources?' page.

Google like a librarian

We all use it - now let's learn to use it better! Improving your Googling skills will save you time and make it easier to identify better sources of information. Tips and tricks are explained below.

  1. Use quotation marks around your search terms to search for the words in the exact order you would like, instead of separately.

Google - "quotation marks"

  1. Use intitle: to retrieve webpages with your keywords in the title of the webpage

Google - intitle: search

  1. Use site:. to retrieve webpages from URLs in the domain (.gov, .edu, .org) you specify.  

Google - site:. search

  1. Use - (a hyphen or minus sign) in front of words to exclude them from your search results.

Google - NOT

  1. Use OR in between words to have either or both of the words included in your search results. OR must be capitalized. This is a good way to search for synonyms.

Google - OR
In the above example, Google will find results that include (election AND fraud) and (voter AND fraud).

  1. Use filetype: to retrieve specific types of files (instead of html webpages). Works for finding most file types.

filetype: search

  1. Use several strategies at once for very specific results.

Google - all of the above search strategies!

Clackamas Community College Library - 19600 Molalla Avenue, Oregon City, Oregon 97045
Reference: 503-594-6042     |     reference@clackamas.edu     |     Circulation: 503-594-6323
Library Hours     |     Moodle     |     myClackamas     |     FAQ
Creative Commons License Except where otherwise noted, content in these research guides is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Link broken? Information need updating? Have website feedback? Please email reference@clackamas.edu