Site Search Help
Introduction
You can find information on the JCST web site by searching for single words, combinations of words or phrases. The tips on this page should help you to make the most of the search facility and find what you're looking for.
Simple word search
If you simply want to search for occurrences of a particular word on the site, just type it into the search box.
Example: specialties
Combining words (boolean searching)
A Boolean search allows you to find particular combinations of words, including or excluding words as required. This can be done by joining words together with the 'operators' AND, OR, NEAR and AND NOT.
- To find results that contain both (or all) of your words, join them together with AND
Example: guidelines AND urology
- To find results that contain either of your words, join them together with OR
Example: reports OR guidelines
- To find results that contain two words close to each other, join them together with NEAR
Example: evidence NEAR based
- To find results that contain one word but specifically exclude another, join them together with AND NOT
Example: SAC AND NOT members
Finding words in a particular sequence (phrase searching)
If you wish to find a particular sequence of words, surround the phrase with double speech marks.
Example: "cardiothoracic surgery"
Hints and Tips
- Searching is not case sensitive
- If you type more than one word into the search box and don't use any 'operators', you will get results that contain either (any if more than two) of the words, not both (or all) - ie an OR search will be carried out by default.
- In AND, OR and NEAR searches, it doesn't matter in which order the words appear - guidelines AND colorectal will find the same results as urology AND guidelines
- You can use any combination of these search techniques eg "SAC Members" AND Urology
- If you're combining an OR search with another technique, put it in parentheses, eg (curriculum AND syllabus) OR training
Page last updated: 28 May 2008
