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To enter a search query, just type in a few descriptive words and hit the 'enter' key (or click on the GO button) for a list of relevant Research Summaries. Since the search engine only returns Research Summaries that contain all the words in your query, refining or narrowing your search is as simple as adding more words to the search terms you have already entered. Your new query will return a smaller subset of the pages the search engine found for your original "too-broad" query.

Choosing Keywords

For best results, it's important to choose your keywords wisely. Keep these tips in mind:

• Try the obvious first. If you're looking for information on fluorescent lamps, enter "fluorescent lamp" rather than "lighting."

   

• Use words likely to appear in a Research Summary with the information you want. "senior housing" gets better results than "places for old people to live."

   

• Make keywords as specific as possible. "indoor air quality" gets more relevant results than "problems with the air in buildings."

Automatic "and" Queries

By default, the search engine only returns Research Summaries that include all of your search terms. There is no need to include "and" between terms. Keep in mind that the order in which the terms are typed will affect the search results. To restrict a search further, just include more terms. For example, to find all Research Summaries about design that talk about satisfaction, simply type:

 

Phrase Searches

Search for complete phrases by enclosing them in quotation marks. Words enclosed in double quotes ("like this") will appear together in all results exactly as you have entered them. Phrase searches are especially useful when searching for specific titles.

 

Capitalization

Searches are NOT case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how you type them, will be understood as lower case. For example, searches for "george washington," "George Washington," and "gEoRgE wAsHiNgToN" will all return the same results.

Word Variations (Stemming)

The search engine also supports "stemming" or "wildcard" searches. In other words, Searching for "child" or "child*" will yield research summaries with the words "children" or "childrens."

Search By Category

You can also search for a Research Summary by browsing the categories of the database. Categories may also have subcategories, nested as deeply as the topic warrants. You can narrow your search by continuing to select more specific categories. Click here to View All Categories.