Using Google Advanced Search in Nursing Research
This short essay examines how nurses can efficiently locate high-quality health information online when local written sources are insufficient. Using Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome as a worked example, the paper walks through using Google Advanced Search with exact-phrase and "peer-reviewed" modifiers to rapidly surface scholarly articles and authoritative government resources. It highlights the NIH's Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center as a model government web resource, noting the value of patient-friendly language, multiple links, and direct question submission. The essay concludes with practical guidance on bookmarking reliable sites for future clinical reference.
- Introduction: Nurses must develop strong online research skills
- Using Google Advanced Search for Clinical Questions: How to use exact phrases and peer-reviewed filters
- Applying the Search: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Example: Step-by-step search example for a rare genetic disorder
- Evaluating Results and Government Health Resources: Assessing NIH GARD page for patient education use
- Conclusion: Best practices for online nursing research and bookmarking
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What makes this paper effective
- Uses a concrete, step-by-step worked example (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) to demonstrate an abstract research process, making the guidance immediately actionable for readers.
- Justifies each methodological choice — such as why "peer-reviewed" is added as a modifier — by citing a definition, adding credibility to the recommendations.
- Maintains a practical, practitioner-focused tone throughout, connecting search strategy directly to patient care outcomes and future clinical utility.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied process writing: rather than simply describing a tool in the abstract, it walks the reader through each decision point (choosing exact phrases, adding quality filters, evaluating top results) while explaining the rationale behind each step. This approach makes the argument both instructive and persuasive.
Structure breakdown
The essay follows a straightforward three-part structure. The introduction establishes the clinical need for strong online research skills. The body first explains the Google Advanced Search method in general terms, then illustrates it with a specific example and evaluates the resulting resources. The conclusion synthesizes the recommendations into portable rules — use exact phrases, filter for peer review, prioritize government sites, and bookmark useful pages — that a nurse can apply immediately.
Introduction
The many issues addressed by the nursing profession sometimes mean that a nurse will not immediately know the answer to a patient's question. Constantly seeking to improve the quality of care and patients' participation in their own care, a nurse understands that he or she is a perpetual student who must develop excellent research skills. Those research skills should be developed for internet and electronic communications as well as written sources, in order to draw on the wealth of information provided by all available resources.
Using Google Advanced Search for Clinical Questions
Google Advanced Search is an excellent and very fast source of information on a wide range of topics, as long as precise keywords are used. It is preferable to a standard Google search because it allows the researcher to enter exact, precise phrases on dedicated lines alongside other search terms, producing highly relevant results nearly immediately. To locate information on a rare genetic defect, a nurse should type the name of the condition into the "this exact word or phrase" field of Google Advanced Search.
Because Google Advanced Search can return literally more than a million results in under a second, an additional term is needed to raise the quality of the sources appearing at the top of the results. Entering "peer-reviewed" in the "all these words" field serves this purpose. Peer review is defined as "the evaluation of creative work or performance by other people in the same field in order to maintain or enhance the quality of the work or performance in that field" (Linux Information Project, 2005). Using this modifier narrows the search and helps ensure that the sources returned meet a higher standard of scholarly quality.
Applying the Search: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Example
To illustrate this approach, suppose that Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is the rare genetic condition in question. Typing "Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome" in the "this exact word or phrase" field and "peer-reviewed" in the "all these words" field, then pressing return, yields approximately 16,200 results in 0.31 seconds. The results include references to peer-reviewed scholarly articles as well as an information page supported by the National Institutes of Health (Google, Inc., 2012).
Conclusion
When local written sources do not have enough information to answer a patient's question, Google Advanced Search is an excellent and very fast source of information on a wide range of topics. Using its exact-phrase and additional-terms fields, a nurse can locate tens of thousands of information sources in under a second. Requesting peer-reviewed sources through an additional search modifier helps maintain the quality of those results.
Furthermore, if a nurse is fortunate enough to encounter a government website alongside peer-reviewed articles, the government site should be consulted first. Government health sites aim to collect as much relevant information as possible and tend to present it in language that patients can understand. A government site written in plain language and rich with supporting links may answer the current question and contain information useful for future inquiries as well. Accordingly, nurses should bookmark such pages in their browser favorites for ready reference.
References
Google, Inc. (2012). Google Advanced Search. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://www.google.com/advanced_search
Google, Inc. (2012). peer-reviewed "Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome" – Google Search. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://www.google.com/search?as_epq=Ehlers-Danlos+Syndrome
Linux Information Project. (2005, December 26). Peer review definition. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://www.linfo.org/peer_review.html
National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, hypermobility type. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from
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