Evaluating results
Discovery allows you to evaluate the results you retrieve by browsing a list of items based on a particular search. Each item on the list includes useful information about the source like:
- the title of the source,
- the date of publication,
- the publisher, and
- a small summary.
Take a look at the image below to see how the details of the source are displayed.
Sorting Results
In Discovery results are by default sorted by those which are readily available from the "American College of Greece Libraries". If you wish, you may change the default sorting option based on criteria like the publication date, on how relevant the content is, or how many libraries worldwide hold the particular title. However, every time a search result is initially displayed, the default sort setting will always be the same, displaying the sources that are readily available from the "American College of Greece Libraries".
To use a different sorting option, expand the drop-down menu next to "Sort: Library". You may choose your default sort level from the list that appears.
Check the table to understand the sort options Discovery uses to classify search results.
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Sort option
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Behavior
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Library
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Considers individual holdings first, then blends Title, Author, Date and Worldwide Holdings.
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Recency
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Blends Date, Title, Author and Worldwide Holdings with an emphasis placed on Date.
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Author (A to Z)
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Sorts by special characters or numbers in the first name, then A to Z by last name.
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Date (Newest)
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Sorts chronologically by publication date with newest items listed first.
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Date (Oldest)
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Sorts chronologically by publication date with oldest items listed first.
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Best Match
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Blends Title, Author, Date and Worldwide Holdings with an emphasis placed on Title.
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Most Widely Held
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Sorts by special characters or numbers in the first name, then A to Z by last name.
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Title (A-Z)
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Sorts by special characters, then alphabetically by Title. Only the article "the" is ignored.
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Evaluating individual titles
Discovery allows you to check each individual title that appears on the results list by looking inside an extended description of the source. Just choose the title you wish to explore and you will be able to view:
- the author(s). Authors names are hyperlinks which if you choose to follow them, will redirect you to more sources of the same author(s), which proves their level of expertise.
- the Google Preview. When this feature is available, it allows you to look inside the book. It is extremely useful for print books.
- the contents. Using the table of contents, reveals relevant chapters.
- the subjects. These are the subjects that the source discusses. They are hyperlinks which if you choose to follow them, will redirect you to more sources on the same subject.
Check the image below to see how the above elements are displayed on Discovery.
Browsing the print titles
In a physical collection all books with the same subject are shelved together, so a common research practice is to check for relevant titles near a relevant print book you have located on the shelves. Discovery allows you to browse print titles of books like if you were using the physical spaces of the library. To do so, scroll at the bottom of the description of a print book and find the feature "Browse the Shelf".
Check the image below to see how the "Browse the Shelf" feature looks like.
