Editing Encyclopedia:Search engine test (section)

===Specific uses of search engines in Wikipedia===
* '''[[Google Trends]]''' can allow you to find which rendering of a word or name is most searched for, [http://www.google.com/trends/explore?hl=en-US#cat=0-20&q=Manuel%20S%C3%A1nchez,%20Manuel%20Sanchez&cmpt=q like this] (note: sports category) or [http://www.google.com/trends/explore?hl=en-US#cat=0-20&q=S%C3%A1nchez%20tennis%2CSanchez%20tennis&cmpt=q like this]. [http://www.google.com/trends/explore?hl=en-US#q=Tidal%20wave%2C%20Tsunami&cmpt=q "Tidal wave" vs. "Tsunami" example], see also the Google Books example below.
* '''[[Google Books]]''' has a pattern of coverage that is in closer accord with traditional encyclopedia content than is the Web, taken as a whole; if it has systemic bias, it is a very different systemic bias from Google Web searches. Multiple hits on an exact phrase in Google Book search provide convincing evidence for the real use of the phrase or concept. You can compare usage of terms, such as [//books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=tidal+wave%2Ctsunami&year_start=2004&year_end=2012&corpus=0&smoothing=3 "Tidal wave" vs. "Tsunami"]. Google Book search can locate print-published testimony to the importance of a person, event, or concept. It can also be used to replace an unsourced "common knowledge" fact with a print-sourced version of the same fact.<ref>Avoid inauthor:"Books, LLC", as LLC 'publishes' raw printouts of Wikipedia articles.</ref>
* '''[[Google Groups]]''' or other date-stamped media can help establish the timing and context of early references to a word or phrase. [http://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/advanced_search?q=& Google Groups search].
* '''[[Google News]]''' can help assess whether something is newsworthy. [https://news.google.com/ Google News] used to be less susceptible to manipulation by self-promoters, but with the advent of pseudo-news sites designed to collect ad revenues or to promote specific agendas, this test is often no more reliable than others in areas of popular interest, and indexes many "news" sources that reflect specific points of view. The news archive goes back many years but may not be free beyond a limited period. News results often include press releases, which are not neutral, independent sources.
* '''[[Google Scholar]]''' provides evidence of how many times a publication, document, or author has been cited or quoted by others. Best for scientific or academic topics. Can include Masters and Doctorate thesis papers, patents, and legal documents. [http://scholar.google.com Google Scholar search].
* Topics alleged to be notable by popular reference can have the type of reference, and popularity, checked. An alleged notable issue that only has a few hundred references on the Internet may not be very notable; truly popular [[Internet meme]]s can have millions or even tens of millions of references.<ref>[http://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=AYB+OR+AYBABTU+OR+%22All+your+base%22 Google search for: AYB OR AYBABTU OR "All your base"]</ref> However note that in some areas, a notable subject may have very few references; for example, one might only expect a handful of references to some [[archaeology|archaeological]] matter, and some matters will not be reflected online at all.
* Topics alleged to be genuine can be checked to test if they are referenced by reliable independent sources; this is a good test for hoaxes and the like.
* Copyright violations from websites can often be identified (as described above).
* Alternative spellings and usages can have their relative frequencies checked (e.g., for a debate which is the more common of two equally neutral and acceptable terms). Google Trends can compare usage in the "News" category ([http://www.google.com/trends/explore?#cat=0-16&q=Tidal%20wave%2C%20Tsunami&cmpt=q "Tidal wave" vs "Tsunami" example]), but this may not be reliable for older news.<ref>[http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/770639.html Google Answers question on word frequency in news sources]</ref>