Researchers who are studying web search behavior will now be able to access some parts of Google’s raw data. To get access to this basic data, academics have to sign up for the Google Research University Research Program for Google Search, which is designed to provide university faculty and their research teams high-volume programmatic access to Google Search. Only authorized users can get information on specific search queries performed by searchers using Google’s search engine. This data have web search results limited by rate, number of results, and daily maximum queries.
Anybody who wants to get access to this raw data, will have to sign an agreement first. The data obtained during the research can be used to produce valuable works for the academic community’s general benefit. According to the terms and conditions of this agreement, “You may not display, distribute or otherwise provide search results, URLs, or titles obtained through to third parties.†Moreover, this service does not provide the users with the right to access other underlying Google services or data.
It is a bold step taken by Google to make researchers understand the structure and contents of the web. However, it is believed by experts that Google will not accept search engine marketers as researchers.
