Using Browse Choices


Overview
What to Do
Dialog Controls

Overview

The Browse Choices button opens a dialog box that shows indexed information exactly as it appears in the database. The best way to perform a search is to add a word or term to the query box, then submit the query. Consulting the indexed information eliminates trial and error searching.

What to Do

  1. Open the Browse Choices dialog box by clicking on the Browse Choices button.
  2. Page through the indexed information by clicking on the < and > at the top of the dialog box.
    Or, type one or more characters in the Find box at the top of the dialog box and click Find to move to that word or term or to the nearest match in the list.
  3. Select a word or term from the list.
  4. Click Add to paste the word or term into the query box.
  5. [optional] Paste additional items, in which case an "OR" (/) search will be done. You can change the Boolean operators that appear in the query box to and (&) or not (!).
  6. Click the Close button at the bottom of the dialog box.
  7. Click the Submit Query button on the main search screen.

Dialog Controls

Each part of the Browse Choices dialog box is explained below.

Find:
Type one or more characters then click the Find button to move to that item (or to the closest matching item) in the list.

Index List:
The number in the first column indicates the number of times the word or term appears in that specific field in the database. The second column shows the indexed information in the database.

Terms List / Words List:
The Terms List in the dialog box will display the complete terms used in the database. Clicking on the Words List will display each word used separately. With the exception of Publication title, the information in the database is term indexed.

Add:
After selecting a term or word from the list, click Add to paste it into the query box on the main search screen. You may paste more than one word or term (one at a time). A Boolean "OR" symbol ( / ) is added between items that you paste. For example, if you paste "1987" and "1988" the query box will contain 1987 / 1988. When you submit the query, you will find articles published in 1987 or 1988. Before submitting the query, you can change the Boolean symbol to & (AND) or ! (NOT).
Close:
When you have completed adding words or terms to the query box, click on Close to close this dialog box and return to the main search screen. Click submit query to conduct your search.