Here are five more ways to use Google as an uncommonly helpful research assistant:

1. If you’re researching  topic and you don’t know what keywords will deliver the information you’re looking for, include OR in your search, in capital letters (this is a move called using the “OR operator”). Try combining it with the “site:” operator.

2. If you want to exclude a particular term in your search use the – (the minus sign operator). For instance searching the Tea Party political movement without mention of Glen Beck would be: “tea party” –glen beck

3. Search for types of files using the “filetype:” operator. For PowerPoint files about Patagonian glaciers try: Patagonian glaciers filetype:ppt

4. Search within numerical ranges using the .. operator (that’s two periods, not three as an ellipsis). So, to find out about Wimbledon tennis in the 1930s, try: Wimbledon 1930..1940

5. If you want to know the geographical area covered by a phone area code, just type it in to the Google search bar and Google will show you a map.