Compare Search Features
- Vendor Interface
- The vendor platform through which databases are accessed.
- Sample Database
- An example of one of the database supplied by the specified vendor.
- Boolean
- Use of the words 'and', 'or', and 'not' to combine search terms.
- Truncation
- A character that replaces one or more characters at end of search term.
- Wildcard
- replaces one character anywhere in search term.
- Phrase Searching
- The method by which a sequential list of words can be searched.
- Proximity Searching
- A method that specifies the proximity of two search terms.
- Field Searching
- Searching a particular field within a database such as an author's name or the title of a work.
The pound sign # refers to any number.
| Vendor Interface | Sample Databases Covered |
Boolean | Truncation | Wildcard | Phrase | Proximity | Field Search |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AND CompLex for Windows | Masterplots Complete | <and>, <or>, <not> | * | ? | not available | not available | Use Index pulldown menu |
| ASCE Civil Engineering Database | ASCE Civil Engineering Database | and, or, not | * | not available | not available | not available | Use field input boxes |
| ASM International | ASM Handbooks Online | and, or, not | * | not available | " " | near finds words within 10 words of each other |
Use field input boxes |
| Beilstein/Gmelin | Beilstein / Gmelin: Organic and Inorganic/ Organometallic Chemistry | and, or, not | * | ? | default; use List Values button <F2> for field values. | proximity near next |
Required for Fact Editor search; use List Values button <F2> to identify field codes. |
| Bowker Web | Books in Print | and, or, andnot | * | not available | not available | not available | Advanced: Use field input boxes. |
| CSA (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) | Ecology Abstracts Technology Research Database Collection |
and, or, not | * | ? | default | within # Note: space before # |
Advanced: Use pulldown menus Advanced Command Line: field code=term ti=mars |
| Vendor Interface | Sample Databases Covered |
Boolean | Truncation | Wildcard | Phrase | Proximity | Field Search |
| CEEOL | CEEOL (Central and Eastern European Online Library) | and, or | * put " "s around truncated term |
not available | default | not available | Advanced: Use field input boxes. |
| Chadwyck - Healey | International Index to Music Periodicals MLA International Bibliography |
and, or, not | * | ? | default | near. # | Use field input boxes. |
| China Academic Journals | China Academic Journals | Advanced: and, or | not available | not available | default | not available | Use pulldown menus. |
| Congressional Quarterly | CQ Researcher | and, or, and not | * | ? | " " | w/# | Use Advanced Search. |
| Dialog@Site | Nuclear Science Abstracts | and, or, not | ? | not available | default? | . | Use field boxes |
| Dyabola | Dyabola (web version) | not available | not available | not available | not available | not available | Use Expert Search options. |
| EBSCOhost | Academic Search Elite PsycINFO |
and, or, not | * | ? | default | n# (any order) w# (in order) |
Guided Search: Use pulldown menus Expert: code term au smith |
| Emerald | Emerald | and, or, not | * | not available | " " | not available | Quick Search: Click appropriate field box Advanced Search: Use field pulldown menus |
| Vendor Interface | Sample Databases Covered |
Boolean | Truncation | Wildcard | Phrase | Proximity | Field Search |
| Encyclopedia Britannica | Encyclopedia Britannica Online | not available | * | not available | Use Advanced Search. | Use Advanced Search. | not available |
| Eureka | Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) | Advanced Search only: and, or, not | ? | not available | not available | not available | Basic: Use radio buttons Advanced: Use pulldown menus |
| Facts on File News Service | Facts.com | and, or, not | * | not available | " " | not available | Select full-text or title-only search |
| FirstSearch | WorldCat | and, or, not | * + for simple plurals s or es |
# | w | n# | Advanced: Use pulldown menus. |
| GaleNet | Associations Unlimited | and, or, not | * | ? | " " | n# | Custom: Use field input boxes Expert: field code term de film |
| Gale/Info Trac | Literature Resource Center | and, or | * | ? | default | n# | Use pulldown menus |
| Google Scholar | none | automatic | not available | " " | not available | Advanced scholar search | |
| Hispanic American Periodicals Index | HAPI Online | Default is and; otherwise unavailable | automatic | not available | not available | not available | Use field input boxes |
| Vendor Interface | Sample Databases Covered |
Boolean | Truncation | Wildcard | Phrase | Proximity | Field Search |
| IEEE | IEEE Xplore | Basic: and, or, not Advanced: <and>, <or>, <not> |
automatic | not available | not available | not available | Basic: Use All Fields pulldown menu Advanced: term <in> code fiber <in> ti |
| IHS Standards Expert | IHS Standards Expert | and, or, not | * | not available | " " | not available. Finds words but may be on different pages | Use field input boxes. |
| Inorganic Crystal Structure Database | ICSD | n/a | automatic left-truncated and right-truncated in Titleof Article field | _ (underscore - Authors field only) | n/a |
" " (Authors field only) |
Required. |
| ISI (Web of Knowledge) | Web of Science Biological Abstracts |
and, or, not | * | ? | " " | same | Use pulldown menus |
| JSTOR | JSTOR | Basic: and, or Advanced: and, or, andnot |
+ for simple plurals s or es |
not available | Basic: default Advanced: " " |
near (pulldown menus) |
Use pulldown menus |
| Knovel | Knovel | Basic: and, or, not | automoatic | not available | " " | near find words within 5-10 words of each other |
Use pulldown menus |
| LEXIS/NEXIS | LEXIS/NEXIS Academic Universe | and, or, and not | ! | * | default | w/# | Guided Search: Use pulldown menus |
| netLibrary | netLibrary | AND, OR, NOT must be capitalized | * | not available | " " | NEAR finds words in the same sentence | Advanced Search: Use field boxes Command Search: field code: term ti: utopia |
| Vendor Interface | Sample Databases Covered |
Boolean | Truncation | Wildcard | Phrase | Proximity | Field Search |
| Newsbank | Global Newsbank | and, or, not | * | ? | adj | near# | Customized: Use pulldown menus |
| NISC | Latin American Studies | and, or, not | * | ? | default | not available | field code=term au=sanders |
| NIST | space implies AND | words automatically trucated | not available | not available | not available | Choose specific search type (e.g. Ligand, Formula) | |
| Oxford English Dictionary | OED Online | and, or, and not | * | ? | default | near options: before, after, before or after |
Use pulldown menus. |
| OvidSP | Health & Psychosocial Instruments International Pharmaceutical Abstracts |
BASIC use natural language; Default and, or, not | * or $ | ? | " " | adj# (in same order) near# (in any order) |
Use Search Field tab |
| Project MUSE | Project MUSE | and, or, not | * | not available | " " | not available | Use pulldown menus. |
| Vendor Interface | Sample Databases Covered |
Boolean | Truncation | Wildcard | Phrase | Proximity | Field Search |
| ProQuest | ProQuest Research Library | and, or, and not | * | ? | default " " (if more than 2 words) |
w/# | Advanced: field code(term) dtype(book review) Guided: Use pulldown menus |
| PubMed | PubMed (includes Medline) | AND, OR, NOT in caps | * | not available | " " (First try without " ") |
not available | Preview / Index: Use All Fields pulldown menu to select a field |
| RDS (Responsive Database Services) | Contemporary Women's Issues | and, or, not | automatic | not available | default | near# | Click in the appropriate circle. |
| SciFinder Scholar | Chemical Abstracts | not available | automatic | not available | " " | not available | Use ANALYZE/REFINE to narrow current set to Index Term, Publication Type, or Publication Year field |
| SSP | American Poetry Database | Boolean Search: Use pulldown menu | * | not available | Proximity Search: Use "followed by" in pulldown menu | Proximity Search: Use pulldown menu | Bibliography Search: Use pulldown menu |
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office |
U.S. PTO Full Text and Image Database | and, or, andnot | $ | not available | " " | not available | Use All Fields pulldown menus |
| Vendor Interface | Sample Databases Covered |
Boolean | Truncation | Wildcard | Phrase | Proximity | Field Search |
U.S. Trademark Electronic Search System |
U.S. Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) | Result must contain: All search terms (and) Any search terms (or) |
$ | not available | Result must contain: Exact search phrase |
near# | term[field code] (Some fields require "term"[field code]) dog[ti] |
WebSPIRS |
Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals | and, or, not | * | ? | default | near# | term in field code freud in au Search Builder: Use scrollable menus |
WebVoyage |
MadCat | and, or, not | ? | not available | Basic / Keywords: " " Guided Keyword: As a phrase |
not available | Basic / Keywords: code term tkey gender Guided Keyword: Use pulldown menus |
WilsonWeb |
Education Full Text Readers' Guide Full Text |
and, or, not | * | ? | default | near# | term in field code 3m in co |