Discovery Guide

Advanced searching

Advanced searching is one step further from the expert searching as it involves the use of expert searching techniques in conjunction with the use of search indexes. These techniques require that you follow specific syntax rules and are used to narrow down or expand the number of search results.

The Advanced Search allows you to construct complex search statements and retrieve focused results. Try to avoid using the Advanced Search option:

• when you are at the beginning of your research and you don't know enough about your topic, or
• when you have failed searches which do not return sufficient number of results or any results at all.

In such cases, just refine your basic search or reconsider your topic.

Perform an Advanced Search

Find the Advanced search option under the Discovery search box on the library homepage. Click it to be redirected to the Advanced Search screen.

Take a look at the picture below to find out where the Advanced search option appears.

Each search string entered in a search box uses a single index. An index is a searchable file of terms used to point to library resources. Indexes are displayed in the box to the right of your search term.

Take a look at the picture below to find out how Search Indexes are displayed.

To perform an advanced search:

1. Click the drop-down list box to see all available indexes. Then, select the index in which you expect to find these terms.
2. Type one or more key search terms into the first Search box. If you are searching for an exact phrase, enclose the phrase in quotes.
3.  Type search terms in the second and third Search for: box as needed. Choose the indexes for the second and third search strings.
4. Click Search. Review the list of search results and refine the search as needed. 

Search Indexes

Discovery supports the use of thirty-six indexes that allow you to perform searches at a very specific level. You can combine more than one search indexes, however the use of them requires that you already know details of your topic like authors' names, journal titles that may have published literature on your topic or specific bibliographic information of a source. 

Click the tabbed boxes below to find out which are the available indexes in Discovery and how they work.

Add and remove databases to searches

By default, all the library's databases that are searchable in Discovery will be selected. You can view the default selections or modify them for your search, when you navigate the Advanced Search. When the database selection panel is open, it displays the currently selected databases and the additional databases available for selection.