|
Check
Spelling. The search engine will attempt to find words that sound
similar to your search terms, but it is always best to try to spell the
search terms correctly.
Use Multiple
Words. The search results will return more refined results from
several words than from a single word. For example, typing "capacity
building East Timor" will return more relevant results than typing only
"East Timor." Remember, relevant results are returned even if they
don't contain all query terms.
Use Similar
Words. The more similar words you use in a search, the more relevant
results you will get back.
Use Quotation
Marks. Use quotation marks to find words that must appear
adjacent to each other, for example, "School of International and Public
Affairs." Otherwise, the search results will include the words "school,"
"of," "international," "and," "public," and "affairs," but not necessarily
together or in that order. NOTE: the quotes can only be used when
the "any word" button is selected. The quotation marks will be ignored
if either the "all words," or "exact phrase" button is selected.
Use Plus
(+) or Minus (-). Use a plus sign when your search term or
phrase must appear in the search results. Use a minus sign to indicate
undesirable term(s). The plus sign tells the search engine that a
certain word or phrase is required in the search results, and a minus sign
indicates that a word or phrase must be absent in the search results.
NOTES: (1) a phrase must be contained within quotation marks. Leave
no space between the plus/minus sign and the search term. (e.g.,
+"Iraqi Kurdistan") (2) the plus/minus signs can only be used when the
"any word" button is selected. The plus/minus sign will be ignored
if either the "all words," or "exact phrase" button is selected.
Use Wildcards.
Wildcard searches can expand the number of matches for a particular
request. The * character is used as the wildcard character.
For instance, search for "wh*" will find the words "what," "when," "why,"
"whether," or any other word that starts with "wh." Searching for
"*her*" will find the words "here," "whether," "together," "gathering,"
or any other word that contains "her" anywhere in the word. Wildcards
can be combined with other search term modifiers.
|