Writing 101: Preventing Pandemics

Create a list of keywords from the main ideas in your research topic, then enter them into the Google search bar

• Ebola
• West Africa
• public health
• response

2. Use Operators, Asterisk, and Quotation Marks

Using search operators like AND, OR, and the minus sign (-), asterisk (*), and quotation marks (“”) helps refine your Google search by narrowing, broadening, excluding, including variant spellings, and finding exact phrases to ensure that you return more precise and relevant results specific to your research topic.

Search Statement #1   

 ex: ebola OR pandemic* OR epidemic AND timeline

    Note: Don't forget to consult with the "Google Operators Cheat Sheet"

Using search operators like AND, OR, and the minus sign (-), asterisk (*), and quotation marks (“”) helps refine your Google search by narrowing, broadening, excluding, including variant spellings, and finding exact phrases to ensure that you return more precise and relevant results specific to your research topic.

AND

• Narrows your search results because each keyword must be found in your search results.

  • Ebola AND epidemic

OR

• Broadens your search terms as your results will search for either or all keywords.
  • Ebola OR Hemorrhagic Fever

( - )

• Use the minus sign (-) in front of a word to exclude terms that you do not want to see in your search results.
  • humans -primate

* Asterisk

• Use the asterisk for truncation to capture all word forms starting from "epidemic".
  • epidemic* = epidemics, epidemiology, etc.

(" ") Quotation Marks 

• Use quotation marks to search and return exact phrases
  • "public health response" = public health response

3. Use Google Domain Limiters to Enhance Specific Search Results

Use the advanced search limiters below for information from nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and educational institutions as these will be your most reliable sources for information on Google.

Examples:

• site:.edu
  • site:.edu "public response" Zika
• site:.gov
  • site:gov.lr "health ministry" Liberia  [ Add country codes link here ]
• site:.org
  • site:.org "epidemic control measures" Sars

Use the following tips when considering information found through Google search:

1.   Skim Titles

2.   Look for additional keywords (Some suggestions are):

• role

• response

• timeline

• chronology

• lesson

• key events

• overview

• summary

3.    Go past page 1 and the first 10 results

4.  Try varous combinations of keywords