How to Use the Explore Tool in Google Docs for Instant Research

When writing an essay, a research paper, or a business report in Google Docs, the traditional workflow involves constantly switching between your document tab and a separate Google Search tab. You search for a fact, copy the URL, switch back, paste the text, format the citation, and repeat. This constant tab-switching breaks your concentration and slows down your writing process.

Google integrated a powerful, often-overlooked feature directly into Docs called the “Explore” tool. This sidebar brings the full power of Google Search, Google Images, and your own Google Drive directly into your document, allowing you to research and cite sources without ever leaving the page.

How to Access the Explore Tool

There are three ways to open the Explore sidebar while working in a Google Doc:

1. Click on Tools in the top menu bar, then select Explore.
2. Use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + I (Windows/ChromeOS) or Cmd + Option + Shift + I (Mac).
3. Look at the very bottom right corner of your screen. You will see a small grey icon shaped like a four-pointed star. Click it.

A panel will slide out on the right side of your screen. If you have already written a few paragraphs, Google’s AI will have analysed your text and automatically populated the sidebar with suggested topics, related research, and images it thinks you might need.

How to Search and Insert Web Content

If the AI suggestions are not what you need, you can use the Explore tool exactly like a normal Google Search bar.

1. Type your research query (e.g., “Apollo 11 landing date”) into the search box at the top of the Explore sidebar and press Enter.
2. The results will be categorized into three tabs: Web, Images, and Drive.

Under the Web tab, you will see standard Google Search results. You can click on any link to open it in a new browser tab to read the full article.

How to Automatically Generate Citations

The most powerful feature of the Explore tool is its ability to instantly generate academic footnotes for the web pages you use.

1. Hover your mouse cursor over one of the web search results in the Explore sidebar.
2. You will see a small quotation mark icon appear in the top right corner of that specific search result.
3. Click the quotation mark.

Google Docs will automatically insert a superscript number into your text at the location of your cursor and generate a perfectly formatted footnote at the bottom of the page containing the URL and access date.

By default, it formats citations in MLA style. You can change this to APA or Chicago style by clicking the three vertical dots next to the “Web” header in the sidebar and selecting your required format.

How to Insert Images and Drive Files

If you switch to the Images tab in the search results, you will see a grid of relevant pictures. Every image displayed here is automatically filtered to show only those labelled for commercial reuse with modification, keeping you safe from copyright issues. To insert an image, simply click the small Plus (+) icon that appears when you hover over it.

Finally, clicking the Drive tab searches your own personal Google Drive files. If you know you have an old spreadsheet with financial data or a PDF related to your current topic, you can find it and open it directly from the sidebar without having to hunt through your Drive folders.