Table outlining the purpose and use of the search features of the Publications module

Feature	Purpose of feature
	Type in your search criteria in the search box and click Search button. Your search will only look within the Publications module.
	To begin a new search, click on Start new search button. This will reset all the folders and any item in the search box.
Folder icon	You can expand the folder to see sub-folders.
Folder icon	You can close the folder to go back one level.
	You can search by Subject by clicking on the folder icon or the All subjects link.
	You can search by Date by clicking on the folder icon or the All years link.
Green checkmark	The green checkmark shows you what folder is active. Click on the green checkmark to close the active folder.
Combining the folders and the Search	You can use more than one folder at a time. You can also use the Search and the folders together. This example shows two active folders and a search being used at the same time. More information on Combining the folders and the Search.
Error message	Example of an error message when using the Search. Check your search criteria and/or try using the folders. More information on Unsuccessful Searches or Error Messages.
Sort title	You can sort the results alphabetically.
Sort date	You can sort the results by most recent publication.
HTML link	Displays HTML version of the publication. Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) is a language used to create documents on the World Wide Web (WWW) .

Browsing

• By subject

  There are two ways to search by subject: using the Search (by typing the subject in the search box) or by clicking on the Subject folder.
  

• By date

  There are two ways to search by date: using the Search (by typing the date in the search box) or clicking on the Date folder.
  

Combining the folders and Search

Now suppose you want to find a study in 2007 on "Health" written by Heather Gilmour from the periodical Health Reports .

Using the Search

You can also search by selecting one or more folders and entering a word in the search box. You can do several different combinations using the search and folders together.

Here is one example. Type the author's name in the Search box. Then use the Subject folder and the Date folder. You can then refer the Source: information listed under the title column to ensure this publication is from the Health Reports periodical.

Example:

Using the folders

You can use both folders. Click on the Subject folder to find "health." Then click on the Date folder to get 2007.

Example:

Unsuccessful Searches or Error Messages

If a search result does not make sense either because you have received an error message or you are unable to find what you are looking for, please check the following:

• Did you clear your previous search criteria?
  • Make sure you click on the button to clear all previous searches.
  
  
• Did you misspell your keyword (s)?
  • Check to make sure that you properly spelled the keyword (s)
  • Spell out acronyms and abbreviations
  • Check how you spell out dates
  • Check how you spell out authors' names
    • You can spell an author's name by first name then last name; last name, first name; or last name only.
  
  
• Is your search criterion too specific?
  • Use more general terms in the search box
    • e.g. Try typing in more common words and then try to narrow down your search
  • Broaden one of your search criteria
    • e.g. You specified the subject and date. Perhaps your subject is too specific.
  • Try an alternative criteria that you haven't used yet
    • e.g. date or subject
  
  
• Did you use the folders?
  • Try finding what you are looking for using only the folders.
  • The Search and the folders do not always give the same search results.
  • To get the exact same search results between the Search and the folders, your keyword search must contain either author's name or publication title.