Help - Search Tips

• How can I limit the number of records retrieved?
• Can I search on an exact phrase?
• How do I search using Boolean operators?
• Which wildcard operators can I use to search History Study Centre for variations on a search term?

How can I limit the number of records retrieved?

To receive more precise results, use the Modify Search link and try one or more of the following:

• Be more specific with your keywords.
• Try searching within a date range for journal articles.
• Where possible, try limiting your search to specific resources or content types.
• Use Boolean operators.

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Can I search on an exact phrase?

Yes - putting quotation marks around a phrase will allow History Study Centre to search for an exact phrase, e.g. "Spanish Civil War".

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How do I search using Boolean operators?

Boolean searching allows you to combine search terms using the three Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT. To execute a Boolean search, enter the required terms separated by the Boolean operators you wish to use.

When you transfer more than one search term from a Select from a list to a search box, History Study Centre automatically combines them using the Boolean operator OR.

AND

The AND operator retrieves all entries that contain all of the terms entered. This normally retrieves fewer entries than searching one of the terms on its own. For example:

• the search term chamberlain AND hitler will find all records containing both the word chamberlain and the word hitler.

If you wish to search for the word 'and' in a phrase (and therefore do not want it to be a Boolean operator) you should type the phrase into the search box and enclose it in double quotes. For example "chamberlain and hitler" will find the whole phrase 'chamberlain and hitler'.

OR

The OR operator retrieves all entries which contain one or more of the terms entered. This retrieves more entries than searching one of the terms on its own. For example:

• the search term bbc OR television will find all records containing the word bbc and all records containing the word television.

If you wish to search for the word 'or' in a phrase (and therefore do not want it to be a Boolean operator) you should type the phrase into the search box and enclose it in double quotes. For example: "bbc or television" will find the whole phrase 'bbc or television'.

NOT

The NOT operator retrieves all entries that contain the first term entered but not the second. For example:

• the search term nuremberg NOT trial will find all records containing the word nuremberg, but will exclude any records which contain the word trial.

If you wish to search for the word 'not' in a phrase (and therefore do not want it to be a Boolean operator) you should type the phrase into the search box and enclose it in double quotes. For example: "nuremberg not trial" will find the whole phrase 'nuremberg not trial'.

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Which wildcard operators can I use to search History Study Centre for variations on a search term?

History Study Centre allows you to list records containing variations on a word or number by using the following characters, referred to as "wildcard operators". The wildcards represent one or more characters in a word or number:

Wildcard	Description	Example
@	matches one alphabetical character exactly	l@st will find last, lest, list, lost
#	matches one numeric character exactly	#600 will find 1600, 2600, etc.
*	matches any character(s)	polic* will find policies, policing, policy, policyholders
?	matches one character exactly	la?er will find later, laser, la3er, etc.
[]	matches only one character specified within the brackets; a hyphen can be used to indicate a range of numbers or letters	199[1-6] will find 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
[^]	matches any character except the next character	199[^1-3] will not find 1991, 1992 or 1993, but will find 1994 etc.
_	the underscore matches zero/one characters	colo_r will find color, colour
\	treats the next character literally, and not as an operator	somebody\@ somewhere.com

To search using a wildcard:

• Type the stem of the word with one of the wildcard operators in the search box. You can position wildcard operators at the beginning, middle, or end of a search term/word. Click the Search button.

Any records that contain variations on the word you typed will appear on the List of Results page.

Note: If you use a wildcard in one of your search words, History Study Centre does not expand the search word to include related meanings or variant spellings; it only implements the wildcard operator.

Tip 1: using ~ (tilde) to search for alternative spellings

Prefix words with a ~tilde if you are unsure of the spelling. Example: If you are unsure of the correct spelling of Phillis Wheatley, you can search on the term ~Phillis or ~Phyllis and the search will still return results for the correct spelling.

Tip 2: using " " (double quotes) to search for an exact word or phrase

Search for an exact word or phrase by using double quotation marks. This stops the search engine from using the thesaurus. Example: A search on "civil war" will return all records containing the terms as a phrase.

Tip 3: using ( ) (parenthesis) to search for grouped statements

Use parenthesis to group statements. Example: A search on (JFK Kennedy) election will return all records mentioning JFK or Kennedy and the word election.

Tip 4: using : (colon) to weight search terms

Use a colon to weight terms. Weights range from 1-10. Example: A search on egypt suez:10 canal will return records with hits on suez (and its expansions) being ranked 10 times higher than hits on egypt or canal (and their expansions).

Tip 5: case sensitivity

All searches are case-insensitive, so you don't have to know whether a word should be capitalized or not. For example, there is no difference between Alabama, alabama or aLabama.

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