How To ...
Search   Enter Search Words
Combine Search Words
Improve Your Search
Save a Search

Display   Display Documents
Print or Save Documents


Enter Search Words Top

Combine Search Words Top
You can use parentheses ( ) and logical connectors AND, OR, and NOT to combine search words.
  • Use AND to find articles containing ALL of the words:
    INTERNET AND ADVERTIS? AND JAPAN finds articles that mention advertising on the Internet in Japan.
  • Use OR to find articles containing AT LEAST ONE of the words:
    CANCER? OR NEOPLASM? finds articles that contain one or more of these words. Typically, you use OR between synonyms or words with alternate spellings.
  • Use NOT to EXCLUDE articles that contain selected words:
    BULLS NOT CHICAGO BULLS finds articles about bulls, but excludes articles that mention the Chicago Bulls basketball team.
  • Use Parentheses to group words together when you use different connectors:
    (KIDNEY OR RENAL) AND TRANSPLANT? finds articles mentioning either kidney transplants or renal transplants. Without parentheses, AND is processed before OR.

Improve Your Search Top
To Get More Documents in Your Results
  • Don't over-specify: use only the search options you really need—leave the others blank.
  • Exclude "implied concepts": leave out words like research or effects.
  • Check for misspelled words.
  • Check the format of your entry: follow the Search Tips examples shown on the search page. Some search options require specific spacing and/or punctuation for correct results.
  • Use more wildcards to search different word endings.
  • Check that you are using parentheses correctly when you combine words with AND, OR, NOT.
To Focus Your Results (& Get Fewer Documents)
  • Include additional words with the AND connector to narrow down the results.
  • Use additional search options, like a date range.
  • If you used the Entire Text search option, change to the Main Subject or Title Words option. (You can use cut & paste from the Edit menu to do this.)
  • If you combined words using AND, change to just a space between the words. For example, instead of MACINTOSH AND SERVER?, use MACINTOSH SERVER?
  • If you searched on a phrase, try using hyphens between the words to get an exact match.
  • Check that you are using wildcards correctly to search word endings; you might be using a word that is too short. Try using the # sign instead of the ?.
  • Check that you are using parentheses correctly when you combine words with AND, OR, NOT.

Save a Search Top
You can save a completed search so that you can return to the same results—or you can simply save a blank search form that you plan to use frequently.

To Save a Completed Search

If you want to return to the results of a search at a later time, you can bookmark the search's title list page. This will save all of the search words and requirements (dates, etc.) that you entered for the search so you won't have to reenter them. Follow these steps:

  1. Go to the first title list page for the search (the page that shows the first ten titles).
  2. In Netscape Navigator™, open the Bookmarks menu and choose Add Bookmark. In Microsoft® Internet Explorer, open the Favorites menu and choose Add To Favorites.
  3. To return to the search, open the Bookmarks (or Favorites) menu and choose it from the list.

To Save a Blank Search Form

If a particular search form is one you expect to use frequently, you can bookmark it using your browser. Follow these steps:

  1. Go to the search form you want to save.
  2. Click anywhere in the frame containing the search form.
  3. In Netscape Navigator™, click the right mouse button and choose Add Bookmark.
    In Microsoft® Internet Explorer, click the right mouse button and choose Add To Favorites.
    This will save the page under the search name, for example 'Market Share & Sales News' or 'Aerospace Industry News.'
  4. To return to the search form, open the Bookmarks (or Favorites) menu and choose the search from the list.

Important: This method will not save the search words or requirements (dates, etc.) that you might have entered in the form. To save a search you have completed in order to return to the same results at a later time, see the Save a Completed Search instructions above.


Display Documents Top

The 'title list' shows brief information about the documents at no charge, 20 titles at a time. You can easily go forward or back to see the other titles on the list. Documents automatically display most recent first.

To display documents, select the titles and click Purchase Selections. If this is your first search, you are then prompted for credit card information. Once this is validated and you confirm the requested transaction, the documents display. For subsequent transactions in the same browser session, you do not need to re-enter your credit card information.

After displaying documents, you can go back to the title list, but be sure to save or print the documents before you display another one. If you reload or repost a documents page, you will be charged again for the same information.


Print or Save Documents Top
To print a documents page, choose Print... from the File menu.

To save a documents page, choose Save As... from the File menu. Then

  1. Select a file location (the directory or folder where you want to save it).
  2. Type a file name and choose a file type: HTML or Plain Text.
    HTML, or 'source' files (*.html, *.htm) include all the format indicators ('mark up'). Use this file type if you want to view the document again using your browser. (To view a saved document, choose Open Page... or Open... from the browser File menu.)
    Plain Text files (*.txt, other) include only the meaningful text in the document without any format indicators. Use this file type if you want to use the document in a word processing application. When you type the file name, be sure to enter .txt as the file extension.
  3. Click OK.



 
 
 
 



 

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