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Library Information Guide - Fort Wayne

Advanced Searching in Google

Found 10 million websites, but none have the information you need?

Most search engines offer advanced search options to help you narrow your search to the sites that are the most useful – just look around for an Advanced or Options link .

For example, Google’s Advanced Search (see below) will allow you to limit your search to sites that are written in English, have been updated in the past month, and are sponsored by a government organization (.gov). Access Google’s Advanced Search by clicking the Settings link in the bottom-right corner of the main Google page, or the gear icon in the top-right corner of any Google search page.

Image of Google advanced search

Advanced Searching in Databases

Google and other web search engines aren't the only places you'll find Advanced Search features. Many of our databases have both Basic and Advanced searches as well. The links on our website generally take you to the Advanced Search page because you have more options when constructing your searches. The extra blanks and choices may be intimidating at first, but they actually help you be more specific in your search so that you can find better and more relevant materials for your assignment.

EBSCOhost Basic and Advanced Search

EBSCO's Basic Search gives you one line to enter keywords and a Search button. Any extra features, such as using connector or Boolean phrases, are up to the user.EBSCO basic search

 


On the other hand, EBSCO's Advanced Search gives you multiple lines to type in search terms and drop-down menus to select connectors. You can also choose the Field - telling EBSCO that you're searching for an author or a title rather than a subject, for example. Even more options appear as you scroll down the page.

image of EBSCO Advanced Search

ProQuest Basic and Advanced Search

Like EBSCO, ProQuest's Basic Search is just a single box and a Search button. The only difference is that you can also select the Full-Text or Peer-Reviewed before you search.

image of ProQuest search box


The Advanced Search gives you multiple search boxes, connectors, and a full page of limits that you can set on your search.

image of ProQuest advanced search boxes

Other Databases

Almost any database you visit will have Advanced Search options. If you don't see many options, check the page for an "Advanced Search" link and you should be able to find more. Try it in the databases below!