Presentation for Idaho Advanced Master Gardeners on using Google

1. Google for GardenersGoogle for Gardeners
Rachel Hollis

2. Search StrategySearch Strategy
Form question & its scope
Efficiently & effectively access information
Evaluate information critically
Incorporate information into knowledge-
base
Use information well
Understand ramifications of information
use

3. The CRAAP method forThe CRAAP method for
informationinformation
Use CRAAP when evaluating information.
•Currency: The timeliness of the information
•Relevance: The importance of the information
to your needs
•Authority: The source of the information
•Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness &
correctness of the content
•Purpose: The reason the information exists

4. You want to find out about…You want to find out about…
Tomato mosaic virus
Beetle larva
How to build a twig arbor
Organic herbicide recipes

5. OperatorsOperators
Refine:
•“” = search for exact phrases or exact
words
•- = excludes
•* = wildcard

6. Basic SearchBasic Search
Beetle larva = implied AND
“Beetle larva” = quotes make a phrase
“Beetle larva” -carpet = minus excludes
“Beetle larva” -carpet Boise = additional
terms
Boise “beetle larva” -carpet = changing
position
Boise “* larva” = wildcard

13. More OperatorsMore Operators
Boolean:
•AND = combines
•() = group words for focused searches
•| = OR
Refine:
•.. = number ranges
•~ = synonym

14. Even More OperatorsEven More Operators
Filetype: search for file type extension (doc,
ppt, xls)
Site: search within a specified domain
(idaho.gov)
Intitle: & allintitle: words must appear in
title
Inurl: & allinurl: words must appear in URL
Define: glossary definition
Related: finds similar

15. Trickier SearchTrickier Search
~twig (arbor | trellis) filetype:pdf = synonym
with grouped OR & in PDF form
~twig (arbor | trellis) “how to” 2009..2013
= phrase searching with year range
“how to * * twig trellis” = phrase searching
with wildcards

19. Specialized SitesSpecialized Sites
• Google search tools
• Google advanced search
–http://google.com/advanced_search
• Google books
–http://books.google.com
• Google scholar
–http://scholar.google.com
• Soople.com is a search site that does
much of the work for you

25. ConclusionConclusion
What can you do today that will improve
your searching?

26. ReferencesReferences
Information Literacy Standards from the
American Library Association
◦ http://bit.ly/14IfpaP
CRAAP method
◦ http://bit.ly/12YtmUf
Google Power Search by Stephan
Spencer