There are three ways to search GeoRef via the CSA vendor:
Quick Search (the default), Advanced Search,
and Command Search (use the Search Tools tab). You may find
the Advanced Search the easiest to use.
1) The Advanced Search
is fairly straight forward. Just fill in the search terms or search
phrases of your choice, and select the fields you want to search within (title,
author, keyword (any field), etc.). For more help, see the "help &
support" link from the GeoRef search page.
2) Things to know when using the default
Quick Search version or the Command Search version
of GeoRef:
The Quick Search version can be used to search a single
term or phrase within all of the fields, but more complex searches are also
possible by using the tools below. These same tools are used in the Command
Search version.
Boolean Operators: and,
or, not. See figure.
These can be used to connect search terms in order to widen
or narrow the search.
Wildcard/Truncation: * This symbol is used as a
substitute for characters within or at the end of search terms. The
symbol "?" can be used to substitute for one character.
Nesting: Tells the search engine the order to perform
operations by using parentheses. (This is similar to the use of parentheses
in mathematical formulas.)
Phrases: Adjacent words are treated as a phrase.
Stop words: Common words such as "a", "the", "of"
that are not included in a search by the search engine.
Fields: Some search engines, such as GeoRef via
CSA, allow limiting the search to specific fields. For example, "ti=hydrology"
limits the search to the title field. Other useful fields to search are "descriptor"
(de=), "abstract" (ab=), and "author" (au=). Limiting
to the title, descriptor and abstract fields is useful when unwanted hits
are resulting from terms in an institutional field or such.
Searching within fields is also very useful for verifying
citations. For example, you may be looking for an article by Craig Lundstrom
published in 1999, but that is all the information you have. In the Quick
Search or Command Search modes, you could conduct this search: "au=lundstrom,
c and py=1999". You would get only a few records, and the article
of interest would likely be included. To determine the "field tags" to use,
look at the Command Search drop-down menu.
Example of a complex
search strategy using Boolean operators, truncation and nesting with GeoRef:
In either the Quick Search or Command Search mode, type:
scabland* and washington and flood* and (catastrophic
or glacial or outburst*)
It is not necessary to capitalize when using GeoRef.
flood* will search for "flood"
or "floods" or "flooding".
This search could be conducted in steps. For example:
- First, search: scabland*,
resulting in 237 or more hits.
- Then click "Search History" and search:
#1 and washington resulting in 197 or more
hits.
- We could also limit to English language only by searching:
#2 and la=english (195 or more hits..not
much help for this search).
- We could get rid of material that is only an abstract
with: #3 not abstract* (114 or more hits).
- Searching in sets helps you understand the results.
For example, if you end up with zero hits, consider that there may be
a typographical error. You may expand or narrow your search after any
step. Searching with one string of text can be faster, but searching in
steps gives more control.
You can also search in selected fields.
For example, searching for washington in the title (ti)
or descriptor (de) or abstract (ab) fields reduces
false hits from the address field (ti=washington or
de=washington or ab=washington).
Example of problems using truncation: rock*
(returns rock and rocks, but also rockets, rockers, etc.)
Your search strategy may also depend partly on the
type of information needed. A knowledge of the Research
and Publication Process is helpful in determining where the needed information
may be "hiding".
You know the following:
1) The author is Hamilton,
2) it is in a U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper,
3) it was published sometime between 1960 to 1965,
4) and you think Antarctica is in the title.
There are several ways to search for this item:
1) Use the "Quick Search"
Type this: hamilton and
antarctica and professional paper and 196?
In many cases, this sort of search will be sufficient.
2) Use the "Advanced Search"
In one box, type "hamilton"
and select the "Author, AU="
from the drop-down menu.
In another box, type "antarctica"
and select "Title, TI="
from the drop-down menu.
In another box, type "professional paper"
and select "Source, SO="
from the drop-down menu.
In the "date range"
drop-down boxes, select 1960
to 1965. (For older years, a
"work-around" is currently necessary, in which case it is better
to use the Quick Search or Command Search modes. For example, in those modes,
SO=196? searches
for the publication years 1960 - 1969).
This is what the search looks like:
You should get just a few records, and the one you want should be there if
your input information was correct (right date range, author, etc.). If there
is a chance that it should be antarctic in instead of antarctica, you could
use antarctic* to search for both.
3) Use the "Command Search"
Click "Search Tools", then "Command Search".
Then, either type this: AU=hamilton and TI=antarctica
and SO=professional paper and SO=196?, or use
the drop-down menu to insert field codes and type in the terms.Use Boolean
operators (and, or,
not), parentheses ( ) to
group search operations, and wildcards (* or
?) to refine your search. Other limitors are
also available such as date range, language, etc. For this search, you could
have used the "Date Range" drop-down menu instead of "so=196?".
Tips:
For USGS documents, the report number is in the SO (source) field and the
RP (report number) field. For example, you could search for Professional Paper
number 0456-B by using "RP=0456-b".
GeoRef searches via CSA are not case sensitive.
Sometimes less is better: You could have typed "U.S.
Geological Survey"...but could there be a space between U. and S.?...or is
it USGS? You can get around these questions by simply typing "professional
paper".
Other Search Tools in the Command Search
Mode include Indexes, Thesaurus, History, Combine Searches, and Alerts.
For more help, go to the "Help
and Support" link on the CSA-GeoRef site. If you would
like some individual help, come see the Geology Librarian.
