Search for references using either the general or
advanced searchmethods.
Access the general
search method by entering a search word or phrase in the text box at the
top of the search page. Using this method, the search engine will search
all fields (reference, title, author, keyword, year and abstract) for the
word or phrase you have entered.
Access the advanced searchform
by clicking thebutton at the top of the page. This
method allows
you to enter a specific word or phrase in a particular field.
Search Logic
As with all search engines, it is
important to know how the text you enter into the search fields is interpreted
by the search engine. By default, the search engine uses
"like" logic. That is, if you enter the words "corneal stain" in a search box the
search will find all references containing the phrase "corneal stain," but will
also list articles containing the phrase "corneal staining." This is
particularly useful if you are missing some of the details of your search; for
example, if you know an author's surname but not his or her initials.
Default Phrase Notation
If you enter multiple words in
the
search box, the search engine will assume that you wish to search for documents
that contain those words as they appear the way you entered them. For example, entering
"corneal staining" will produce a list of documents that contain those two words
grouped together. You
may, however, wish to use the "AND" operator if you wish to list documents
that contain both the words "corneal" and "staining," but not necessarily
grouped together.
"AND"
If you wish to list documents
that contain multiple phrases, use the "AND" operator.
e.g. corneal AND staining
or
corneal & staining
This type of search is particularly useful in the
general search box, if you wish to search for an article by a particular author
on a particular subject.
"OR"
Using the "OR" operator
asks the search engine to list documents
that contain either the phrase before the operator, the phrase after
the operator, or both.
e.g. corneal staining OR tear film
Range
The dash character can be used to search for
numeric values between two values. With the following example, the search
engine would list all referenced documents published in the years 1995,1996 and
1997)
e.g. 1995-1997
Precedence
The search
engine executes the AND operator
first and the OR operator second, for cases
in which both methods are combined in a single search.
