Google Searching
Most of us use Google and Google Scholar, even if we have more specific databases available through LBNL.
If we are going to use these search tools, then we might as well make our searching as effective as possible.
You can beef up your results when using Google Scholar, by getting access to more full text. This can be done by setting the Scholar Preferences to include most everything that LBNL has access to, if you have a lab VPN. Click on the "gear" icon in the upper right hand corner of the Google Scholar page. Select "Scholar Preferences." In the middle of the page is "Library Links." If LBNL is not already selected for you, then type in Lawrence Berkeley, select the box next to the lab's name. Now "Safe Preferences" in the upper right hand corner of the page and continue searching Google Scholar. Now in the right hand side of results pages, there should appear at least a few UC-eLinks. These will take you to the full text, generally pdfs, of articles, and ebooks, to which LBNL has access.
Now here are a few ways to make your Google and Google Scholar searching a bit stronger.
What You Want What you enter into a Google Search
the words Lawrence and Berkeley |
lawrence berkeley |
either the word solar or the word photosynthesis |
solar or photosynthesis |
the exact phrase passive solar cells |
“passive solar cells” |
the word scandium but NOT the word yttrium |
scandium -yttrium |
look up the word spaghettification and its synonyms |
~spaghettification |
to search within a number range: |
software #$50...$75# |
find info about a page |
info:www.commons.lbl |
related pages |
related:www.nasa.gov |
find linked pages |
link:www.fas.org |
search in only one website |
site:www.cneu.psu.edu |
restrict search to a specific filetype |
chemistry filetype:ppt |
restrict search to page URLs |
inurl:ecology |
specific domain search (.edu,.com,.gov, etc.) |
site:.edu bioremediation |
restrict search to a country, like Brazil |
site:.br “nuclear power plants” |
return pages with all words specified in body text |
allintext:south pole |
