To access search modes and expanders in NavigatorSearch, go to the Advanced Search screen and click on the Search options tab.
Search Modes
Under Search Options, the search modes offer five different ways to conduct a search as described below.
Select from:
-
Proximity – Searches for terms in proximity to one another. For example, the search web accessibility gets searched as web N5 accessibility, which means “web” and “accessibility” separated by five words or less, in any order. A record will be returned only if all the words searched are found within the same field, such as title, subject, or abstract. There is no proximity across fields or subfields. This mode also supports Boolean searching when explicit Boolean operators are included between terms.
-
Find all of my search terms – Automatically searches with Boolean “AND” between all search terms, for example, the search web accessibility gets searched as web AND accessibility.
-
Find any of my search terms – Automatically searches with Boolean “OR” between all search terms, for example, the search web accessibility gets searched as web OR accessibility.
-
SmartText Searching - You can copy and paste large chunks of text into the search box, for example a paragraph or a page. SmartText Searching technology reduces the text entered to the most important search terms based on term frequency (TF) and inverse document frequency (IDF) calculations of the terms in the query and the databases searched and then creates a weighted Boolean query for search execution.
When you click the SmartText Searching radio button, the Find field grows to indicate that you can enter as much text as you want. Type in text, or copy and paste text from an article (or other source) into the Find field, select any of the limiters or expanders, and click Search. SmartText Searching will run the search using the citation's abstract and a new Result List will display. If no abstract is available, SmartText Searching will run the search on the article title. If SmartText Searching is not available in the database being searched, Find Similar Results searches the article's subject headings or descriptors. -
Natural language search - Allows you to query using everyday language. Instead of relying on complex keywords or Boolean operators, natural language search enables you to form searches in a more conversational manner. This feature is particularly beneficial for researchers who need to find specific information quickly or are accustomed to using natural language queries in their daily workflows, such as those familiar with digital assistants or who often begin their research on the web.
Expanders
Under Search Options, expanders offers three different ways to broaden the scope of your search, as described below. They do this by widening your search to include words related to your keywords or including the actual text of the full text results in your search.
Select from:
-
Apply related words - Select this option to expand results to include true synonyms and plurals of your terms.
Example: A search for Neoplasm with the Apply Related Words expander applied would also search for Tumor, Tumour, Tumors, Tumor's, Tumours, and Tumour's.
-
Also search within the full text of the articles - Select this option to search for your keywords within the full text of articles, as well as abstract and citation information. This applies only to words not qualified by a field code.
-
Apply equivalent subjects - Select this option to utilize mapped vocabulary terms to add precision to unqualified keyword searches.
For additional instruction on searching NavigatorSearch, register for an upcoming Library webinar by clicking here.
