DISPLAY search help for: ASFA | Britannica | Library Catalog | MGA | UnCover
(These links open a new browser window with mini-tables containing help information for that service. Resize the windows to keep them visible while you perform your searches.)

**also see handouts from Seattle Libraries' workshops at User Education.

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State the Information Question

The first step in the search process is defining your information need.
Think about the terms and appropriate synonyms you will use to request information.
Example: I am looking for atmospheric circulation models.

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Plan the Search Statement

atmospheric AND (models OR modeling) AND circulation

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Instruction on basic commands

Search variations of words

Truncation or the wildcard is used to search for words which may have several different endings.
Example: fish* retrieves fishes, fishing, fisheries, etc.

Connect the terms in your search

Use proximity connectors to search adjacent phrases.
Example: bering ADJ sea

Logical (Boolean) connectors link concepts.
Use OR to group terms when at least one must be present.
Example: moon OR lunar

Use AND to connect concepts or terms where both or all must be present.
Example: pollut* AND legislat*

Use bound phrases for groups of terms. Parentheses distinguish a group of terms.
Example: (eddies OR eddy OR ring*) AND mesoscale AND North ADJ Pacific

Connect bound phrases with nested searching.
Example: (fish OR fishes) AND (larvae OR larval) AND (growth OR age)

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Choose a citation index and conduct your search
NOAA Seattle Regional Library Citation Indexes

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Evaluate your search results

Your results may be exactly what you want, or you may want to modify your search to improve the results.

Are the records relevant?
Check records for more specific terms. Look for concepts to add to your search.

Are there too many records?
Add additional concepts to narrow the scope of your search.

Are there too few records?
Drop the least important concepts. Check records for additional terms that might be used.

Good Luck!

Search Help

Service Name	Wild Card	Boolean	Adjacency	Parentheses	Author	Pub Year
ASFA	* fish* retrieves: fishes, fishing, fisheries, etc.	and or not (not case sensitive)	ADJ bering ADJ sea retrieves: "bering" followed by "sea"	(mouse or mice) and (gene or pseudogene)	Last Name, A. B. Last Name, AB	PY=1996 Py=1996 or 1995 or 1994
Library Catalog	$	AND OR XOR NOT		(mouse OR mice) AND (gene OR pseudogene)	Last Name, A. B. Last Name, First Name
MGA	*	AND OR NOT (case sensitive)		(mouse OR mice) AND (gene OR pseudogene)	Last Name, A*B* Last Name, First Name	1994 OR 1995 OR 1996 1994 OR 1995
UnCover	*		Name/Word (Select button)Author or Name Lavelle/hydrothermal	(1 or 2) and (3 or 4)	Last Name A Last Name First Name
Britannica	*	AND OR NOT (case sensitive)	ADJ (adjacent)