This is an advanced topic not covered in the introductory course. Please skip to Part II: Understanding Search Result unless you're an experienced Google user.

You can specify most of the Advanced Search page options in a regular search box query by using advanced operators, i.e., query words that have special meaning to Google. Since the advanced operators are convenient for searching, The Many Faces of Google calls them "search operators." Most users find that making use of the Advanced Search page, instead of using search operators directly, fulfills their specialized search needs. Search operators tend to be used by people who prefer to type commands rather than filling in forms.

Note: The colon (":") following the operator name is mandatory. Some of the search operators won't work as intended if you put a space between the colon and the subsequent query word. If you always place the keyword immediately next to the colon, however, you can't go wrong. Many search operators can appear anywhere in your query. In our examples, the search operator is placed as far to the right as possible. This convention makes it clearer as to which operators are associated with which terms.

The following table lists features available on the Advanced Search page that are accessible via search operators.

Advanced Search Features	Search Operators
File Format	filetype:
Occurrences       in the title of the page       in the text of the page       in the URL of the page       in the links to the page	allintitle: allintext: allinurl: allinanchor:
Domain	site:
Similar	related:
Links	link:

The following is an alphabetical list of the search operators. This list includes operators that are not in Google's online help. Each entry typically includes the syntax, the capabilities, and an example.

allinanchor:

If you start your query with allinanchor:, Google restricts results to pages containing all query terms you specify in the anchor text on links to the page. For example, [ allinanchor:best museums sydney ] will return only pages in which the anchor text on links to the pages contain the words "best," "museums," and "sydney." Anchor text is the text on a page that is linked to another web page or a different place on the current page. When you click on anchor text, you will be taken to the page or place on the page to which it is linked. When using allinanchor: in your query, do not include any other search operators. The functionality of allinanchor: is also available through the Advanced Web Search page, under Occurrences.

allintext:

If you start your query with allintext:, Google restricts results to those containing all the query terms you specify in the text of the page. For example, [ allintext:travel packing list ] will return only pages in which the words "travel," "packing," and "list" appear in the text of the page. This functionality can also be obtained through the Advanced Web Search page, under Occurrences.

allintitle:

If you start your query with allintitle:, Google restricts results to those containing all the query terms you specify in the title. For example, [ allintitle:detect plagiarism ] will return only documents that contain the words "detect" and "plagiarism" in the title. This functionality can also be obtained through the Advanced Web Search page, under Occurrences.

In Image Search, the operator allintitle: will return images in files whose names contain the terms that you specify.

In Google News, the operator allintitle: will return articles whose titles include the terms you specify.

allinurl:

If you start your query with allinurl:, Google restricts results to those containing all the query terms you specify in the URL. For example, [ allinurl:google faq ] will return only documents that contain the words "google" and "faq" in the the URL. This functionality can also be obtained through the Advanced Web Search page, under Occurrences.

In URLs, words are often run together. They need not be run together when you're using allinurl:.

In Google News, the operator allinurl: will return articles whose titles include the terms you specify.

author: (works only in Google Groups)

If you include author: in your query, Google will restrict your Google Groups results to include newsgroup articles by the author you specify. The author can be a full or partial name or email address. For example, [ children author:john author:doe ] or [ children author:doe@someaddress.com ] return articles that contain the word "children" written by John Doe or doe@someaddress.com.

Google will search for exactly what you specify. If your query contains [ author:"John Doe" ], Google won't find articles where the author is specified as "Doe, John."

bphonebook:

If you start your query with bphonebook:, Google shows business white page listings for the query terms you specify. For example, [ bphonebook:jammer trenton ] will show the phonebook listing for Jammer Doors in Trenton.

cache:

The query cache:url will display Google's cached version of a web page, instead of the current version of the page. For example, [ cache:www.princetonol.com ] will show Google's cached version of the Princeton On-Line home page.

On the cached version of a page, Google will highlight terms in your query that appear after the cache: search operator. For example, [ cache:www.princetonol.com newsletter events ] will show Google's cached version of the Princeton On-line page with the words newletter and events highlighted.

define:

If you start your query with define:, Google shows definitions from pages on the web for the terms that follow in the specified order. This advanced search operator is useful for finding definitions of words, phrases, and acronyms. For example, [ define:blog ] will show definitions for "Blog" (weB LOG).

ext:

This is an undocumented alias for filetype:.

filetype:

If you include filetype:suffix in your query, Google will restrict the results to pages whose names end in suffix. For example, [ web page evaluation checklist filetype:pdf ] will return Adobe Acrobat pdf files that match the terms "web," "page," "evaluation," and "checklist." You can restrict the results to pages whose names end with pdf and doc by using the OR operator, e.g. [  email security filetype:pdf OR filetype:doc ].

When you don't specify a File Format in the Advanced Search Form or the filetype: operator, Google searches a variety of file formats, see the table in the File Type Conversion section.

group: (works only in Google Groups)

If you include group: in your query, Google will restrict your Google Groups results to newsgroup articles from certain groups or subareas. For example, [ sleep groups:misc.kids.moderated ] will return articles in the group misc.kids.moderated that contain the word "sleep" and [ sleep groups:misc.kids ] will return articles in the subarea misc.kids that contain the word "sleep."

id:

This is an undocumented alias for info:.

inanchor:

If you include inanchor: in your query, Google will restrict the results to pages containing the query terms you specify in the anchor or links to the page. For example, [ restaurants inanchor:gourmet ] will return pages in which the anchor text on links to the pages contain the word "gourmet" and the page contains the word "restaurants."

info:

The query info:url will present some information about the corresponding web page. For instance, [ info:gothotel.com ] will show information about the national hotel directory GotHotel.com home page. Note: There must be no space between the info: and the web page url.

This functionality can also be obtained by typing the web page url directly into a Google search box.

insubject: (works only in Google Groups)

If you include insubject: in your query, Google will restrict articles in Google Groups to those that contain the terms you specify in the subject. For example, [ insubject:"falling asleep" ] will return Google Group articles that contain the phrase "falling asleep" in the subject.

Equivalent to intitle:.

intext:

The query intext:term restricts results to documents containing term in the text. For instance, [ Victor Laurie intext:right-click ] will return documents that contain the word "right-click" in the text, and mention the names "Victor" and "Laurie" anywhere in the document (text or not).

Putting intext: in front of every word in your query is equivalent to putting allintext: at the front of your query, e.g., [ intext:right-click intext:mouse ] is the same as [ allintext: right-click mouse ].

intitle:

The query intitle:term restricts results to documents containing term in the title. For instance, [ flu shot intitle:help ] will return documents that mention the word "help" in their titles, and mention the words "flu" and "shot" anywhere in the document (title or not).

Putting intitle: in front of every word in your query is equivalent to putting allintitle: at the front of your query, e.g., [ intitle:google intitle:search ] is the same as [ allintitle: google search ].

inurl:

If you include inurl: in your query, Google will restrict the results to documents containing that word in the url. For instance, [ inurl:healthy eating ] will return documents that mention the words "healthy" in their url, and mention the word "eating" anywhere in the document (url or no).

Putting inurl: in front of every word in your query is equivalent to putting allinurl: at the front of your query, e.g., [ inurl:healthy inurl:eating ] is the same as [ allinurl: healthy eating ].

In URLs, words are often run together. They need not be run together when you're using inurl:.

link:

The query link:URL shows pages that point to that URL. For example, to find pages that point to the Ewing SeniorNet home page home page, enter:

[ link:www.ewingsnet.com ]

Note: The link: and the related: operators cannot be combined with any other query terms or operators.

location: (works only in Google News)

If you include location: in your query on Google News, only articles from the location you specify will be returned. For example, [ queen location:uk ] will show articles that match the term "queen" from sites in the United Kingdom.

msgid: (works only in Google Groups)

If you include msgid: in your query, Google will restrict your Google Groups results to newsgroup articles with the specified message ID. For example, [ msgid:<hamishxyz-B270D1.09001126112003@news.supernews.com> ] will return the article whose message id is <hamishxyz-B270D1.09001126112003@news.supernews.com>.

phonebook:

If you start your query with phonebook:, Google shows all white page listings for the query terms you specify. For example, [ phonebook: Krispy Kreme New York ] will show the phonebook listing of Krispy Kreme donut shops in New York.

related:

The query related:URL will list web pages that are similar to the web page you specify. For instance, [ related:www.consumerreports.org ] will list web pages that are similar to the Consumer Reports home page. Note: Don't include a space between the related: and the web page url. You can also find similar pages from the Similar pages link on Google's main results page, and from the similar selector in the Page-Specific Search area of the Advanced Search page. If you expect to search frequently for similar pages, consider installing a GoogleScout browser button, which scouts for similar pages.

rphonebook:

If you start your query with rphonebook:, Google shows residential white page listings for the query terms you specify. For example, [ rphonebook:j may titusville nj ] will show the phonebook listing for Joel May in Titusville, NJ.

site:

If you include site: in your query, Google will restrict your search results to the site or domain you specify. For example, [ admissions site:www.lse.ac.uk ] will show admissions information from London School of Economics' site and [ peace site:gov ] will find pages about peace within the .gov domain. You can specify a domain with or without a period, e.g., either as .gov or gov.

You can use many of the search operators in conjunction with the basic search operators +, -, OR, " ." For example, to find information on Windows security from all sites except Microsoft.com, enter: [  windows security -site:microsoft.com  ]

You can also restrict your results to a site or domain through the domains selector on the Advanced Search page.

source: (works only in Google News)

If you include source: in your query, Google News will restrict your search to articles from the news source with the ID you specify. For example, [ election source:new_york_times ] will return with the word "election" that appear in the New York Times.

You can also specify the publication name in the "news source" field in the Advanced News Search form.

stocks:

If you start your query with stocks:, Google will interpret the rest of the query terms as stock ticker symbols, and will link to a page showing stock information for the symbols you specify. For instance, [ stocks:yhoo goog ] will show information about Yahoo and Google. Note: Specify ticker symbols not company names. If you enter an invalid ticker symbol, you'll be told so and taken to a page where you can look up a valid ticker symbol. You can also obtain stock information by entering one or more NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, or mutual fund ticker symbols in Google's query box, e.g., [ yhoo goog ] and then clicking on the "Show stock quotes" link that appears near the top of the results page.

store: (works only in Froogle)

If you include store: in your query, Froogle will restrict your search to the store ID you specify. For example, [ polo shirt store:llbean ] will return listings that match the terms "polo" and "shirt" from the store L. L. Bean.

To find a store ID, enter the name of the store and click on the link "See all results from store." You'll find the store ID in the query box, after the store: search operator.

The following table lists the search operators that work with each Google search service.

Search Service	Search Operators
Web Search	allinanchor:, allintext:, allintitle:, allinurl:, bphonebook:, cache:, ext:, define:, filetype:, id:, inanchor:, info:, intext:, intitle:, inurl:, link:, phonebook:, related:, rphonebook:, site:, stocks:
Image Search	allintitle:, allinurl:, filetype:, inurl:, intitle:, site:
Groups	allintext:, allintitle:, author:, group:, insubject:, intext:, intitle:, msgid:
Directory	allintext:, allintitle:, allinurl:, ext:, filetype:, intext:, intitle:, inurl:
News	allintext:, allintitle:, allinurl:, intext:, intitle:, inurl:, location:, source:
Froogle	allintext:, allintitle:, store:

The following table lists the search operators grouped by type. I include search operators not yet documented by Google, e.g., allinanchor:, allintext:, author:, ext:, group:, id:, insubject:, intext:, intitle:, location:, phonebook:, source:, and store:. Be forewarned that Google may change how undocumented operators work or eliminate them completely.

Search Operators	Short Description
Restrict search       site:       link:       filetype:	Restrict results to a website or domain Find pages that link to a web page Find documents of the specified type
Restrict search to sites where query words appear       allinanchor:       inanchor:       allintext:       intext:       allintitle:       intitle:       allinurl:       inurl:       author:       group:       insubject:       msgid:       location:       store:	All query words must appear in links to the page Terms must appear in links to the page All query words must appear in the text of the page The terms must appear in the text of the page All query words must appear in the title The terms must appear in the title of the page All query words must appear in the URL The terms must appear in the URL of the page Find Groups messages from the specified author Find Groups messages from the specified newsgroup Find Groups messages with the specified subject Find Groups messages with the specified msgid Find News articles from sources located in the specified location Find Froogle products from the specified store
Alternate query types       cache:       info:       related:	Show cached version of web page Find information about a web page List web pages similar the specified web page
Specialized Information Queries       define:       phonebook:       bphonebook:       rphonebook:       stocks:	Provide definitions for words, phrases, and acronyms Show all phonebook listings Show business phonebook listings Show residential phonebook listings Given ticker symbols, show stock information

Using More than One Search Operator

You may use many of the basic operators and search operators with each other. However, there are some that must be used by themselves and others that you should be careful about using together.

• Search Operators that Can't Be Combined

  There are about a dozen search operators that can't be combined with any other. If you do, Google probably won't return any matching documents. Search operators that shouldn't be mixed include:

  • All the search operators whose names begin with "allin," e.g., allinanchor:, allintext:, allintitle:, and allinurl:.

  • Syntaxes that request special information, e.g., define:, phonebook, bphonebook, rphonebook, stocks:.

  • Page-specific search operators, e.g., cache:, info:, link:, related:.

• Combine Search Operators Carefully

  Be careful not to cancel out the effect of a search operator when including more than one in your query. Here are some rules to follow:

  • Don't use search operators that will cancel each other out. For example, [ admission site:stanford.edu -inurl:stanford ] searches for pages that are on the site stanford.edu that do not contain the string "stanford" in their URL or web addresses. None fit the bill.

  • Take care not to exclude all results when using certain search operators more than once in a query. For example, [ sleep recommendations site:edu site:cdc.gov ] will not return any sleep recommendation since the query looks for results appearing on both the .edu domain and the cdc.gov sites simultaneously. If you want results from both, include OR between the two site: specifications, i.e., [ sleep recommendations site:edu OR site:cdc.gov ]. Search operators that should either be used once in a query or in combination with OR include: filetype: site:, and group:.

  • Focus your search by using several search operators. For example, [ intext:e-mail intitle:security -site:microsoft.com ] finds pages whose titles contain the word "security," with the word "e-mail" on the text of the page and not on the site microsoft.com.

Exercises

This problem set is designed to give you experiences with search operators and practice with specifying more precisely what you're seeking by using the Advanced Search form. For hints and answers to selected problems, see the Solutions page in the Appendix.

1. Use the site: operator to search for armchairs on Ikea's site, www.ikea.com.

2. Use the Advanced Search form to find the page whose title is "Some Ways to Detect Plagiarism." When the title is entered in lowercase letters, the query box on the results page contains [ allintitle: "ways to detect plagiarism" ].

3. Find all pages on google.com but not on answers.google.com nor on directory.google.com whose titles include the words "FAQ" or "help."

4. Use the link: operator to see who links to ewingsnet.com or your favorite website.

5. Find pages whose titles include surfing that are not about surfing the World Wide Web.

6. Find out where the upcoming international conference on AIDS is being held.