Search Operators and Evaluating Sources
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Key points
- No space after the colon in site: filetype: inurl: or intitle:
- OR and AND must be written in capitals
- Quotation marks fix both the words and their order
- The minus sign excludes a term, with a space before it and none after
- Every operator narrows results except OR, which widens them
- intitle: applies to one word; allintitle: applies to all the words after it
- Prefer primary sources on .gov.in, .nic.in or .ac.in for official work
Search operators
| Operator | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation marks | Exact phrase, in that exact order | "assistant registrar recruitment" |
| Minus sign | Excludes a term | registrar -film |
| OR in capitals | Either term | GFR OR "General Financial Rules" |
| AND in capitals | Both terms, applied by default anyway | GeM AND tender |
| site: | Restricts to one site or domain | site:example.gov.in |
| filetype: or ext: | Restricts to a file format | recruitment filetype:pdf |
| inurl: | Term must appear in the URL | inurl:recruitment |
| intitle: | Term must appear in the page title | intitle:"office memorandum" |
| intext: | Term must appear in the body text | intext:"utilisation certificate" |
| allintitle: / allinurl: | All terms in the title or URL | allintitle: assistant registrar |
| related: | Sites similar to a given site | related:example.gov.in |
| define: | Definition of a word | define:sanction |
| Asterisk | Wildcard for an unknown word | "leave travel * rules" |
| Two dots | Number or date range | recruitment 2020..2026 |
Key point
There must be no space after the colon. site: example.gov.in with a space does not work; site:example.gov.in does. OR and AND must be typed in capitals, or they are treated as ordinary words.
Widening and narrowing
Every operator narrows the results except OR, which widens them. Quotation marks narrow the most, because they fix both the words and their order.
Example
To find only PDF copies of office memoranda on a particular government site, combine all three parts: site:example.gov.in "leave travel concession" filetype:pdf
The minus sign
Leave a space before the minus sign and none after it. Searching registrar -film removes film-related results, while registrar OR film would increase them.
Judging a source for official use
- Check the domain. A .gov.in, .nic.in or .ac.in address is more dependable than a blog.
- Check the date, the order number and whether any amendment has followed.
- Rely on the primary document. A news report or blog summary must not be cited in a note.
- Verify any rule number taken from a search summary or an AI tool against the original order.
Exam tip
In syntax questions, look at the spacing first. Any option with a space after the colon can be eliminated before you read the rest of it.
Practice questions
Answer all, then check. Explanations appear after checking.
Finished this topic? Tick it off.
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