Sunday, March 30, 2014

How to use the Research Tool in Google Docs




Did you know you can research directly in your Google Doc? 

First you must login to your Google account and create a Google document.  Next, on the tool bar, select 'Tools', then 'Research' , the Research window will appear on the right side.  Type the topic in the search bar, then you will get a drop down list on what to search for, as shown below.

Here are some examples of the types of search results given by each option.   

  • Everything - will perform a general search on the topic

  • Images -will perform an image search on the topic

  • Scholar - will perform a scholarly search on the topic

  • Quotes - will perform a quote search on the topic

  • Dictionary - will look up the term

  • Table - will perform a search on the topic and display it in a table format


In addition, to performing a search in a Google document, students can preview a website, insert a link, or cite a website.   
  • Preview mode:   will open a small window of the website in your document.
  • Insert Link:  will insert the link of the website into your document    
  • Cite: will insert the citation for the website you at the bottom of the Google document, similar to a footnote

Have your students try it!  It is very convenient and easy to use.