You can submit a keyword search against the following five categories:
- Anywhere: searches a combination of article title, abstract, journal title, assigned keywords, and authors.
- Subject: searches a combination of article title, abstract, and assigned keywords.
- Article title
- Journal title
- Author
A keyword search looks for terms anywhere within the specified indexed fields. By default, multiple words are searched as if there is the Boolean operator AND between the search terms. The system will retrieve items that contain each word. Items that only contain one of the words will not be retrieved. For example,
- water treatment --> retrieves items that contain the word water
and also the word treatment. The words do not have to be
side-by-side or in the same index.
You can use combinations of phrases, truncation and boolean operators to better define your search terms.
A phrase search will retrieve items that contain the words side-by-side. To submit a phrase search, enclose your search terms in quotation marks. The quotation marks will stop the system from trying a Boolean search.
"water treatment" --> retrieves only items that contain the phrase water treatment.
Boolean Operators
Examples
Use and to specify the presence of both terms.
Nanotechnology and plastic
Use or to specify the presence of either term.
Chemistry or chimie
1 character may be truncated internally or at the end of the word using a question mark.
med?cine
circula?
Any number of characters may be truncated internally or at the end of the word using one asterisk.
indemni*
Putting it all together
Examples
When using more than one operator, use parentheses to group strings.
Nanotechnolog* and (plastic* or polyester or aluminium)
Phrases can be used with boolean operators. Put quotes around a phrase that is included in a boolean search string.
"water treatment" or "traitement des eaux"
"water treatment" and "pollution control"
("water treatment" or "traitement des eaux") and "pollution control"
When using a combination of boolean operators and truncation, ensure that the truncated expression is listed first.
shear engineer*
shear AND engineer
engineer* AND shear
shear AND engineer* will not work
polyester OR plastic* will not work
Anywhere
Searches against article title, abstract, journal title, assigned keywords, and author.
Use a combination of terms to obtain more relevant results.
Combine journal title and subject.
"electronic engineering" and electromechanical
Combine author's last name and subject.
Joarder and proteins
Subject
Subject search uses a combination of terms found in the article title, abstract, and assigned keywords.
If you know a specific phrase in the abstract, title or subtitle of the article, enclose it within double quotes to find an exact match.
"algorithm combining ant colony optimization"
This function will yield the most results when searching on uncommon or unique words that could be found in the article. A space is the same as the Boolean operator AND.
Algorithm ants
Article Title
If you know the title of the article enclose it within double quotes to find an exact match.
"Physical and genetic map of the Spiroplasma kunkelii CR2-3x chromosome"
Search on uncommon or unique words from the article title. A space is the same as the Boolean operator AND.
Spiroplasma kunkelii
Journal Title
If you know the journal title, enclose it within double quotes to find an exact match.
"Canadian Journal of Chemistry"
Search on uncommon or unique words from the journal title. A space is the same as the Boolean operator AND.
Canadian chemistry
Author
Searching by author can be tricky because an author's name may be indexed many ways.
Enter the author's last name. This strategy retrieves the broadest search results possible.
Joarder
Search the author's last name and first name or initial.
Joarder r
Joarder ronald
Remember a space is the same as an AND between your terms.