Scope

• Begin (b) is the first command you use in the search process.
• It tells the computer that you want to search in one or more specific databases.
  • Examples:
    • b 275
    • b health
    • b n1-n7, n14

Usage

• You use the b command to connect
  • One or more databases
  • One or more OneSearch categories (Collections of databases).
  • Databases that you identified as a result of a DialIndex search.

  Field	Format	Examples, Notes
  Begin 1 database	b <db#>	b 275
  Begin multiple DBs	b <db#>	b 88,275
  Begin OneSearch Category	b <category>	b allreference
  Begin databases selected as a result of the ranking of a DialIndex search	b <n#,n#, n#-n#,..>	b n1-n8,n14,n27

   

• You limit your search of the databases to the Current Year or to the Current and Recent Years

  Limit	Format	Examples, Notes
  Current Year	current	b 275 current
  Current plus # years back	current#	b 275 current5

Scope

• Select (s) is the basic command that tells the computer that you want to search for the words following that command.
  • Example:
    • s california and earthquakes
• This will produce a set of records for the full search statement (in other words, all of the terms that you entered) but not sets for the individual terms.
  • Example: The Above might produce the following

    • s1 california and earthquakes - 2380 records

• NOTE:
  • When you are doing a DialIndex search to see which databases have the most frequent occurrences of the terms that you entered, you only use the single select (s).
  • You also use the single select (s) when you are combining sets of the results of previous searches.
    • Example: s s1 and s5

Select Steps

• The command, though, is best used in the form (ss) or select steps if you are searching on two or more terms.
• The reason is that select steps will display each individual term as a set of results as well as the set of combined terms.
• This is useful if you want to recombine terms for a subsequent search.
• Example:
  • ss california and earthquakes
  • This will produce (the numbers below are not real):
    • s1 california - 123829 records
    • s2 earthquakes - 9422 records
    • s3 california and earthquakes - 2380 records
  • Now, you could do another search on "sierra nevada" and combine it with the "earthquakes" result:
    • s sierra(w)nevada produces: s4 17021 records
    • s s4 and s2 - 928 records
• NOTE:
  • Do not use the Select steps (ss) when
    • You are doing a DialIndex search .
    • Conducting a search that combines previous sets.

Scope

• The find command is used more-or-less like the select / select steps (s / ss) command to indicate the terms you are searching for.
• The major difference is that find enables you to search for phrases without using proximity operators
  • There are two limitations to this capability:
    • If you are not sure of the exact word order of the phrase you are searching for.
    • If the phrase includes stop words.
  • You can use proximity terms n and w if either of those conditions exist.
• find also allows you to search for:
  • Combinations of new terms with previous result sets (Sn)
  • Combinations of expand set numbers with new terms.

Example

Function/Command	Format	Examples, Notes
find	f <terms>	f maxfield parrish f osteopaths f old man(3w)sea

Scope

• When searching databases, you need to know the standard terms, author names, or company names for the subjects for which you are seeking information.
• This can be difficult because different databases, different authors, and different publications may use varying terms for the same subject.
• Examples:

  Is William Faulkner: Faulkner, William Faulkner, Bill Faulkner, William F. Faulkner, Willy Faulkner, William Z.

  Is Apple Computer: Apple Computer Co. Apple Apple Computer Inc. Apple Computer Corp. Apple Corp.

Solution

• Dialog databases provide an expand command that enables you to look at an alphabetical list of terms such as authors or company names.
• Important: The ONLY fields that expand can be used with are ones that are "phrase" indexed.
• This depends upon the particular database:
  • Look at the Bluesheet for that database to be sure.
  • Common phrase-indexed fields are:
    • Author (au=)
    • Company Name (co=)

Format

Function/ Command	Format	Examples, Notes
expand	Author: expand <lastname, firstname, initial>	expand au=hemmingway, e
	Company: expand <company name>	expand co=apple computer

Using Expand

• When you expand a term you get a list as follows:
  • Author example:
    • expand au= hemingway, e.

      results in:

      Ref	Items		Index-term
      E1	1		AU=HEMINGWAY, DANIEL X.
      E2	6		AU=HEMINGWAY, DODIE
      E3	4	*	AU=HEMINGWAY, E.
      E4	233		AU=HEMINGWAY,EARL
      E5	56		AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNEST
      E6	7		AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNEST M.
      E7	106		AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNIE

• You can now use select to search on the expand sets (En) that have been generated.
  • Examples:
    • s e5

      results in:

      S5

      56

      AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNEST

    • s e3 or e5:e7

      results in:

      S6

      170

      AU=HEMINGWAY, E. OR AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNEST:AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNIE

• These sets can be combined with other search terms as you desire.