While the advantage of Google has always been viewed as an example of searching simplicity, its developers recognize the need for search precision functionality when needed.

Recently we reported that Google began implementing the ability to use Boolean searching within the Google interface. Google also has an Advanced search that offers some limited options for refining a search by using preset search boxes to assist users. These preset search boxes offer a guided way for achieving the same results as with using Boolean Operators, double quotes, filters, etc. For example, “All These Words” equals the “AND” Boolean Operator, “Any of These Words” equals the “OR” Boolean Operator.

Unfortunately, these options are not quickly found when doing a Google search. To get to it, click on the Settings in the right lower corner of the Google search screen and then on Advanced Search.

You can also bookmark the direct URL (https://www.google.com/advanced_search) for easy access.

Simply fill out the search box and then use another set of options to narrow your search down by Language, Region and other criteria.

My NCBI is a tool that provides a customized database searching experience for PubMed and all the other databases within the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Users can save articles and search strategies as well as create automated email alerts and customize preferences in how they interact and search PubMed. My NCBI is also a key component to keeping publications in compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy, through My Bibliography’s integration with eRA Commons. Creating a My NCBI account is quick and easy!

Here’s a breakdown of some popular features:

1. Keeping track of research
   • My NCBI allows users to Save Searches (including applied filters), so that they can be run again and even displays how many new articles have been added since the last time the search strategy was executed.
   • The Save Search feature allows users to set the format (what citation information they want to see) and how frequently email alerts should be delivered.
   • Organize articles in Collections, which can be continually added to, and can even be made public with a shareable URL to send to colleagues and collaborators.
2. Customizing search experience
   • Filters allow for customized categories to be identified and filtered from a search strategy. Up to 12 filters can be added to a user’s account at a time, and they range from general topics such as English language, Clinical Trials, Reviews, and Humans, to more complex and customized filters such as the Cancer subset topic search, and even specific search strategies.
   • Edit and customize Preferences, such as the number of references per page, the layout (Summary, Abstract), and the default sort (Most Recent, Best Match, etc), as well as linking accounts, setting up delegates, and much more.
   • Add Highlighting to search terms found in titles and abstracts for quick and easy scanning for relevant articles.
3. Staying compliant
   • The My Bibliography portion of My NCBI serves as a place to organize and store a user’s publications.
   • This section links to eRA Commons, so that users can quickly identify which of their publications are NIH-compliant and address those papers that are not.