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SOWK 4201 Evidence for Practice: Google Scholar Search Strategies

Tips for Searching Google

Exact phrase search

  • Search for words in the order as typed.
  • Type double quotes at the beginning and end of the phrase.
  • Example: "social inequality"

 Restrict search to a particular domain or website

  • Use site: to limit to a particular domain
  • Search top level domains such as .edu, .org, .com, .gov, .net
  • Search within a specific country's domain.
  •  Example: Disney "social inequality" site:.org

Use Advanced Search to:

  • search with Boolean operators (OR, AND, NOT)
  • limit by domain
  • limit by filetype (e.g., pdf, ppt, doc)
  • control where search terms appear (title, text, url)

 

Search Strategy Examples

Be sure to select Google Scholar from the Databases listed in this guide or from the library's alphabetical list so links to DU full text are provided.

Then select the Advanced Search from the menu in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

Search term examples:

Find articles

with all the words: homeless 

with the exact phrase: evidence based

with at least one of the words: intervention solution

OR

with all the words: homeless 

with the exact phrase: systematic review

with at least one of the words: intervention solution

OR

with all the words: homeless 

with the exact phrase: meta analysis

with at least one of the words: intervention solution

 

Other Google Scholar Advanced Search Tips

See this guide from the University of Pittsburgh Libraries:

Google Scholar Search Tips