Major Search Engine Comparison Chart
Basic Search with Examples
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| Phrases | Boolean/ Implied Boolean |
Capitalization & Truncation | Field Searching | Special Features | |||||||||||
| ALTA VISTA
Web |
" " double quotation marks |
+ word(s) must appear |
Case sensitive * asterisk for truncation |
|
Search in 25 languages Translate in 6 languages Refine search Set preferences |
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|
"multicultural education" |
+"affirmative action" +"sexual abuse" +"teen pregnancy" +Japanese -Japan |
+Bill Clinton -Al Gore quilt* quilt,quilted,quilting |
domain:gov +"welfare reform" | ||||||||||||
| EXCITE
Web |
" " double quotation marks | + word(s) must appear - word(s) must not appear AND, OR, AND NOT ( ) parentheses for nested Boolean |
Case sensitive No truncation |
N/A | Concept searching More like this List by Web site Show titles only Select words to add to your search |
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| "Day of the Dead" |
+PepsiCo +mission welfare reform AND NOT California (clone OR cloning) AND (ethics OR ethical) |
Maya Angelou | . | . | |||||||||||
| HOTBOT
Web |
|
AND, OR, NOT ( ) parentheses for nested Boolean |
Capitals only in mixed case words No truncation |
title: |
Search by date/date range, geographic
location, media type Revise search |
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| "interagency collaboration" | (same sex OR gay OR homosexual) AND (marriage OR partnership) | NeXT | "CSU Stanislaus" and depth:3 | . | |||||||||||
| INFOSEEK
Web |
" " double quotation marks | + word(s) must appear - word(s) must not appear |
Case sensitive Automatically searches for variant word endings |
|
Search within these pages Group by site | search within results |
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| "distance learning" |
+English +"second language" +"domestic violence" +effects +children |
007 +"James Bond" | +title:"soccer moms" | recipes | salmon | |||||||||||
| LYCOS
Web |
" " double quotation marks | +word(s) must appear -word(s) must not appear AND, OR, NOT, ADJ, NEAR ( ) parentheses for nested Boolean |
Case insensitive No truncation |
|
Find related Web pages List by Web site Refine your search: Search those results |
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| "Proposition 209" |
"species account" AND bobolink family AND school AND (collaboration OR partnership) |
. | . | . | |||||||||||
| NORTHERN LIGHT
Web |
" " double quotation marks | +word(s) must appear -word(s) must not appear AND, OR, NOT (limited Boolean) |
Case insensitive Automatically searches for variant word endings |
N/A | Custom search folders, e.g., subject,
type, source, language Fee for full text of journals in special collection |
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| "campaign finance reform" |
"alcohol abuse" NOT "drug abuse" +television +violence +children |
Cat retrieves cat, cats, catalog, etc. | . | . | |||||||||||
| WEB CRAWLER
Web |
" " double quotation marks | +word(s) must appear -word(s) must not appear AND, OR, NOT, NEAR, ADJ ( ) parentheses for nested Boolean |
Case insensitive | N/A | Natural language Shortcuts feature Similar pages Customize search results |
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| "Internal Revenue Service" OR IRS |
+"death penalty" "death penalty" OR "capital punishment" |
. | . | . |