Introduction

Click on the "Search" tab if it is not already "white," which means it is the active selection.

This is the interface that you use to search Factiva's major database of millions of articles from over 9,000 sources. Play around it

Search Functionality

Factiva offers a wide range of sophisticated search functionality, including Booleans, several proximity operators, over 30 fields for searching, wildcard and truncation operators, phrase searching, nesting, and methods of specifying minimum and maximum sizes for records.

Factiva also offers an "Intelligent Indexing" tool with click-on pulldown menus that enable you to add Source, Company, Subject, Industry, Regional, and Language limits or content to the search statement that you create in the Free Text search field.

For information on the search functionality go to the Factiva Cheatsheet (a Word document) or look at the resources listed on the Factiva Resource page.

Search Interface

Example Search

I am looking for information in the last week or so about Google's new initiative to provide content from books in its online search.

Search - Step 1

1. I decide on a search statement: (books near3 google) and enter it in the "Free Text" entry field.
2. I decide that I want to get a European perspective on it, so I click on "Source" and limit my search to "Eruopean Countries" by clicking on the triangular blue arrow.
3. This places "rst=Europe" in the "Free Text" entry field. ("rst" means regional subject term)
4. I add "and" between my search statement and the new limit.
5. The event was very recent, so I limit the search Date to "In the last week."
6. I click on the "Run Search" button.

 

Search Result - Step 2

My search, limited to European sources, brings up three results. Notice that in the right frame is my "Free Text" search statement plus the "Intelligent Indexing" limits that I entered.

I now have several choices.

• I can select how to sort my results.
• I can select how to display my records.
• I can click on a title of an article to display it in the right frame.
• I can check a box by the title of an article, then click on the Email button (the envelope) to email it somewhere or click on the Printer button to print out the checked article.

 

Search Result - Step 3

My clicking on a title of an article causes the full text of the article to display in the right frame.

 

Search Result - Step 4 - Choice 1: Printing the article

If you decide to print the article, all you need to do is click on the print symbol (the printer). This eliminates most of the superfluous materials in the window, leaving just the article, citation information, and the Factiva and Dow Jones/Reuters aymbols. Now you can print it using the browser print capability.

 

Search Result - Step 4 - Choice 2: Emailing the article

On the other hand, if you expect to email the article, then you can click on the email symbol (the envelope), and the below window will appear. Fill it out as needed and send.