The Essentials of Google Search

Doing a search on Google is easy. Simply type one or more search terms (the words or phrase that best describe the information you want to find) into the search box and hit the 'Enter' key or click on the Google Search button.

In response, Google produces a results page: a list of web pages related to your search terms, with the most relevant page appearing first, then the next, and so on.

Here are some basic tips to help you maximize the effectiveness of your search:

Choosing search terms

Choosing the right search terms is the key to finding the information you need.

Start with the obvious – if you're looking for general information on Black Holes, try Black Holes.

But it's often advisable to use multiple search terms; if you're looking for information on a specific black hole, like M82, you'll do better with Black Holes M82 than with either M82 or Black Holes by themselves. And Mid-mass Black Holes M82 may produce even better (or, depending on your perspective, worse) results.

You might also ask yourself if your search terms are sufficiently specific. It's better to search on Sagitarius A* Black Holes Milky Way than on Black Holes galaxy . But choose your search terms carefully; Google looks for the search terms you chose, so Sagitarius A* Black Holes Milky Way will probably deliver better results than really cool Black Holes in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Capitalization

Google searches are NOT case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how you type them, will be understood as lower case. For example, searches for crab nebula, Crab Nebula, and cRaB nEbUlA will all return the same results.

Automatic "and" queries

By default, Google only returns pages that include all of your search terms. There is no need to include "and" between terms. Keep in mind that the order in which the terms are typed will affect the search results. To restrict a search further, just include more terms. For example, to search for supernovas released in 2006, simply type supernovas 2006.

Automatic exclusion of common words

Google ignores common words and characters such as "where" and "how", as well as certain single digits and single letters, because they tend to slow down your search without improving the results. Google will indicate if a common word has been excluded by displaying details on the results page below the search box.

If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include it by putting a "+" sign in front of it. (Be sure to include a space before the "+" sign.)

Another method for doing this is conducting a phrase search, which simply means putting quotation marks around two or more words. Common words in a phrase search (e.g., "where are you") are included in the search.

For example, to search for Cassiopeia A, use:

~ OR ~