10 things you can do with Google Search to nail your coursework
No need for an SOS! Just save your search: We’ve all stumbled across an amazing article which we decide to dig out later -- only to find that it’s disappeared into the abyss. Well, worry no more! You can now add and organise useful content to Collections in Google Search to help you keep track of content you’ve visited before.
1. Not actually sure what to search? No problem: Use an asterisk to find similar phrases or discover the unknown word in a phase - simply replace the desired/unknown word with *. We know, it’s that simple.
2. Keeping tabs on your tabs: You can save eight days of time per year using keyboard shortcuts. Try this one in Chrome: jump between tabs at light speed by pressing Ctrl and the tab number you want to go to (i.e., Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, Ctrl+3).= . Right-click in any text field for a shortcut to access emoji on any platform Chrome can be found.
3. Searching on Scholar: Abstracts are freely available for most of the articles... but alas, reading the entire article may require a subscription. Here are a few searches to try:
click a library link, e.g., "FindIt@Harvard", to the right of the search result;
click a link labelled [PDF] to the right of the search result;
click "All versions" under the search result and check out the alternative sources;
click "Related articles" or "Cited by" under the search result to explore similar articles.
4. Use the perfect shot: Got an image you want to use but can’t recall the source? You can upload your photo to Google Images to find the same or similar photos. Click on the camera icon in Google Images and Google will also tell you the origin and other details about the photo. Now you can know where that meme really came from and nail your referencing.
5. Find it on YouTube: Found a Ted Talk you need to whizz through? You can skip ahead to the section you need using the number keys -- hitting “2” will take you 20% into the video, “6” will take you to 60%, while “0” will restart the video (0%).
6. Ask the complex questions: You can ask Google “compositional queries” that require it to solve the first piece of the question before addressing the second part. For example, if you search [when were the actors in Stranger Things born], you will (feel old and) see the birthdates of Elle, Dustin, Will, Mike, Lucas and Max. Then you can get back to your coursework!
7. Check how to say mind blowing numbers: You’ve probably got this one down if you’re a maths major, but the rest of us we can find ourselves bamboozled!! Simply type in any long number and add “=english” and you’ll find the correct way to spell out the number in words. Try it for 6006131520.
8. Be book smart: Locate hard-to-find books online or at a library near you with Book Search. You can also personalised libraries on Google Books where you can label, review, rate, and of course, full-text search, a customized selection of books.
9. Get social with search: We all need to refuel when burning the midnight oil. So if you’re swapping the library for a late night lasagne then use search to help you settle the bill. Enter [tip calculator] with the cost of your meal, and the percentage you want to tip. You can even ask Google to help you split the bill evenly with your friends.
10. Get social with search: We all need to refuel when burning the midnight oil. So if you’re swapping the library for a late night lasagne then use search to help you settle the bill. Enter [tip calculator] with the cost of your meal, and the percentage you want to tip. You can even ask Google to help you split the bill evenly with your friends.