Advanced keyword searches can be constructed using combinations of phrases or keywords with operators, truncation and wildcards.
Using these features will override the standard keyword relevance ranking.
- Combining keywords with search operators
- Quotation marks
- Keywords used as search operators
- Use of brackets
- Wildcards
Combining keywords with search operators
Apart from AND and OR there are other search operators, sometimes called Boolean operators, which can be used to refine a search and make the relationship between keywords more specific.
AND NOT
This search operator is used to EXCLUDE words from your result list. It is always used with words you do want to find in catalogue records. It is also useful for refining a search that has found an unexpected search result.
york and not new and not cape
kangaroo and not wallaby
WITHIN #
The # represents the maximum number of words between the search keywords. The words may be in any order but will occur within the same field in the catalogue record. This search operator allows you to specify words close to each other, in any order, but not necessarily adjacent to each other.
Please note that where records have multiples of the same field, for example, subject headings, records will only be found where the search words fall within the same subject heading.
It is useful for searching on words which may be within long contents notes in catalogue records.
architecture within 20 scully
environment within 10 periodicals
Quotation marks
Using quotation marks (“”) around a phrase will find only records that contain the words you typed, in the same order, in a single indexed field in the catalogue record.
“sonata in c minor”
Keywords used as search operators
Searching for keywords that are also used for search operators requires special treatment.
To search on phrases that contain the words used as search operators:
AND, OR, AND NOT, NEAR, WITHIN, BEFORE and AFTER
you will need to enclose these operator words in double quote marks so that they will be included in the phrase. Alternatively, enclose the whole phrase in double quote marks.
If you are looking for a title that begins with the phrase, prefer a TITLE search.
"near" east
"before and after"
"within" my heart
what we should not be "and not" do
"black and blue"
Two asterisks used alone in the search box finds everything. You can combine this with various search limits to find, for example, all journals in French or an alphabetical list of all music scores.
Use of brackets
In order for searches to be processed correctly the search terms must be "nested" or grouped for processing using brackets.
(wom*n or female) and (renaissance or medieval) and paint**
(disaster within 5 management) and (western australia or tasmania) and assess** and not northern territory
Wildcards
(?) The question mark wildcard functions as a single letter within a word. This is useful if you are not sure of the spelling of an author’s surname or for geographic variations in spelling.
