Verbatim search, long a staple of the paid data services like Nexis, Westlaw and Newsbank, has come to the web courtesy of Google. In a blog post, Colin Anderson, Google principal engineer for search, explained that the company was initiating verbatim search as an option because not every searcher required Google to correct spelling errors or search for synonyms or similar terms. As researchers know, this is sometimes exactly the wrong approach. One for instance -- when probing for suspected plagiarism or over borrowing. Another instance -- fact checking quotes or other attributed material.
To turn on the the verbatim search capability, click through "More search tools" on the left hand side of the Google search results page. "Verbatim" appears (close to the bottom of the column) as an option. Help for the Verbatim search here.
Note that the new verbatim search functionality applies to Google web searches. A similar function is already available (search "with the exact phrase") in the Google Books Advanced Book Search.