When using Google or any other search engine, it’s important to use search commands effectively to locate the most relevant and high-quality grey literature for your research needs. By default, Google often prioritises commercial websites or country-specific results, so it’s essential to apply advanced search techniques to push beyond these limitations.
In this section, we’ll guide you through the features of Google Advanced Search and provide tips on how to use it effectively to discover grey literature that supports your research.
Google is not objective. It personalises your search results, using information like your location and search history, to return results it thinks you'd like to see.
This is useful in everyday life but is problematic when it comes to research, as we want our results to be objective and reproduceable.
It also leads to filter bubbles: an online environment, created by personalisation and algorithms, where people only see content and information which confirms and aligns with their existing beliefs. With any research, it's important we're able to see results which reflect multiple viewpoints, not just content which reflects our existing knowledge and position.
To mitigate this:
Internet search engines, like Google, can be very useful for finding grey literature sources, particularly web content and reports. They also work well for initial scoping searches, to give a sense of what grey literature is available on a topic.
However, because they search the internet generally, these search engines can return a huge amount of results. You can use search commands and the advanced search options offered by these search engines, to focus your search and surface relevant grey literature.
Google's Advanced Search
Google's Advanced search allows you to be more specific with your search. The easiest way to access it, is to simply google 'advanced search' and select the top result.
The top section is where you enter your search terms. Each different line corresponds to a different search command:
As well as being able to control your keyword search, you can also refine parameters of your search using dedicated filters. Two of the most useful options are the site or domain and the file type filter.
Using the site or domain search feature in Google Advanced Search is invaluable for narrowing your results to specific, reliable sources. By targeting particular domains, such as .gov, .edu, or .org, you can focus on authoritative content from government agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit organisations. This ensures the information is more likely to be credible and relevant to academic or professional research. Additionally, limiting your search to a specific website helps you find resources directly from organisations or repositories relevant to your field, saving time and improving the accuracy of your search results.
What is a domain?
A domain is the part of a website’s address (URL) that indicates its source or ownership. It provides information about the type of organisation hosting the content, helping users assess its credibility.
Two approaches:
Domain (web ending) |
Type of website |
---|---|
.co.uk / .com / .net |
Commercial and general |
.edu / .ac (e.g., ac.uk) |
Academic institutions (Universities, Colleges, Research establishments) |
.gov (e.g, .gov.uk) |
Government websites (including local) |
.org (e.g., .org.uk) |
Organisations (often non-profit but not always) |
.int | Intergovernmental Organisations |
Search for pages in a specific file format.
Select a file type from the drop down menu. This is useful for finding specific types of grey literature:
File type |
Example use |
Adobe Acrobat PDF (pdf) |
Reports and policy documents are often available as PDFs |
Microsoft Excel (xls) |
Data may be available as Excel spreadsheets |
Microsoft PowerPoint (ppt) |
Conference presentations may be available as PowerPoints |
Watch the video below to see for a more in-depth overview of how to effectively use Google's advanced search.
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Use the quick links to academic institution domains and government websites to streamline your research and access trusted information.
Country | Domain | Country | Domain |
---|---|---|---|
Antigua and Barbuda | edu.ag | Malaysia | edu.my |
Argentina | edu.ar | Malta | edu.mt |
Australia | edu.au | Mexico | edu.mx |
Austria | ac.at | Morocco | ac.ma |
Bangladesh | ac.bd | Nepal | edu.np |
Bangladesh | edu.bd | New Zealand | ac.nz |
Belgium | ac.be | Nicaragua | edu.ni |
Botswana | ac.bw | Nigeria | edu.ng |
Brazil | edu.br | Oman | edu.om |
Brunei | edu.bn | Pakistan | edu.pk |
China | ac.cn | Papua New Guinea | ac.pg |
China | edu.cn | Peru | edu.pe |
Colombia | edu.co | Philippines | edu.ph |
Costa Rica | ac.cr | Poland | edu.pl |
Cyprus | ac.cy | Qatar | edu.qa |
Djibouti | edu.dj | Rwanda | ac.rw |
Ecuador | edu.ec | Saudi Arabia | edu.sa |
Egypt | edu.eg | Serbia | ac.rs |
El Salvador | edu.sv | Serbia | edu.rs |
Eritrea | edu.er | Singapore | edu.sg |
Estonia | edu.ee | Somalia | edu.so |
Ethiopia | edu.et | South Africa | ac.za |
Fiji | ac.fj | South Korea | ac.kr |
Ghana | edu.gh | South Sudan | ac.ss |
Guatemala | edu.gt | Spain | edu.es |
Hong Kong | edu.hk | Sri Lanka | ac.lk |
India | ac.in | Sri Lanka | edu.lk |
India | edu.in | Sudan | edu.sd |
Indonesia | ac.id | Taiwan | edu.tw |
Iran | ac.ir | Tanzania | ac.tz |
Israel | ac.il | Thailand | ac.th |
Italy | edu.it | Turkey | edu.tr |
Jamaica | edu.jm | Uganda | ac.ug |
Japan | ac.jp | Ukraine | edu.ua |
Jordan | edu.jo | United Arab Emirates | ac.ae |
Kenya | ac.ke | United Kingdom | ac.uk |
Lebanon | edu.lb | Uruguay | edu.uy |
Libya | edu.ly | Vietnam | edu.vn |
Macao | edu.mo | Zambia | ac.zm |
Zimbabwe | ac.zw |
Once you're familiar with these different search commands, you can type your search out in Google's standard search bar, rather than using the advanced search.
Using advanced search operators such as intitle, site, and filetype allows for precise and efficient web searches. By combining these operators, you can narrow down results to specific formats, domains, and keywords, ensuring that you find the most relevant and authoritative information quickly.
For example,
the search: intitle:sustainability site:gov.uk filetype:pdf finds pdfs (mostly reports) from UK government sites with the word 'sustainability' in the title:
Evaluating grey literature is essential to ensure the sources you use are credible, accurate, and relevant to your research. The next section will introduce key evaluation techniques, including the AACODS checklist, to help you assess the quality and significance of grey literature sources effectively.