What is QuickSearch?

QuickSearch allows you to use a single interface to search across a selection of the library's databases and other resources. QuickSearch provides citations and abstracts, as well as linking opportunities to full-text articles and records in the library's catalog. QuickSearch is currently in "beta" while we work out the kinks.

QuickSearch defaults to a basic search by subject and searches for words in the title field.

The General category is a great place to start because it contains several multidisciplinary databases that cover a broad range of topics:

• Academic Search Premier
• Issues and Controversies
• UAA / APU Consortium Library Catalog
• Wilson Select Plus
• World News Digest

From search by subect you can select other categories to to focus your research or switch to search by databases to select any combination of over 70 individual databases.

 

Advanced Search Tips

Use the Advanced search page for expanded searching options like a search type menu, the Year Search Limiter to enter a specific date, and advanced Boolean searching. You can search using the fields listed below:

 

 

Title	The "title" field
Author	The "author" field
Full Text	For full-text content, if available
Keyword	The "keyword" field
Subject	The "subject" field
Abstract	The "abstract" field
ISSN	Exact ISSN
ISBN	Exact ISBN
Any	Usually works like a "keyword" search

 

Try using Boolean operators (AND, OR, and NOT) to find what you're looking for. Phrase searching works too! Put "quotation marks" around your search phrase to return more precise results.

With both the Basic and Advanced search options, you can choose specific resources to search. If you already know which resources you want to search, click on "Search by database" to choose from a list of available resources.

If you aren't sure where to begin but you know what subject area(s) you are interested in researching, click on "Search by subject" to choose from a list of subject categories.

Search Results

As QuickSearch gathers your search results, you will see the resources at work. Within seconds, databases return results, and the search page will present live updates.

You will see which resources have returned results first, and you can click on the number to view the results as the remaining databases continue searching. You can also click Stop Searching and look at the results that have been retreived so far.

Clustered Results

Clustered results sort your QuickSearch results into categories, to help save you time in deciding which results are most appropriate for your purposes. Clustering can also help you refine your search, by giving you new ideas for your search query.

If you see plus symbols next to the provider names, that means you have the option to minimize that resource's information. When the information is hidden, the button will appear as a minus symbol, and another click will reveal the information again.

Use Results by Source to filter your search results to show only those from specific databases or providers. The number of results for each database and provider is shown in parentheses next to each resource. Click on the results number to view a particular resource's results.

Sort Options

All of your options for sorting and filtering your search results are located in the header above your results.

• Sort By: These links allow you to sort your search results by publication date, title, author, or source. If your results contain publication dates, they will be automatically sorted by date unless you choose another sort option.
• Filter By: Use this checkbox to filter your results down to "Full Text" (meaning they link to the entire content of the item).

New or Refined Search

At the top of the page, above your clustered results, are your "Refine Search" and "New Search" links.

• Refine Search: This takes you back to your original search query where you can edit and run the search again.
• New Search: This takes you to a fresh search page to start a new query.

 

Next Results

To get results to you as quickly as possible, results are returned in small batches. When you reach your final page of results you can click on the "Next Results" link to see the next batch of results from the providers.

You will be taken to the next page of results. The new set will be automatically appended to the original results set. Use the "merge" icon if you prefer to combine all results into one list. This sorts the list according to your selected sorting method -- by default, Date.

Check for Full Text

Some of your results may not include a title link to the full-text content. If this is the case, a "Check for Full Text" link may be available to see if full-text is available in another database. The "Check for Full Text" can also be used to submit an Interlibrary Loan request.

The "Check for Full Text" link will only appear on the results that have enough citation information: (Title OR ISSN) AND Volume AND Issue. It will not appear on every result.

Abstract Display

An abstract summarizes the content of a citation, so that you can get an idea of what the article will cover before actually jumping to it. Some search results will return with a link to these summaries. Clicking on this link will reveal the abstract, and another click will hide it again.

Deduplication

When a search finds duplicate results, you will see a "Duplicate Records" link. Only one record will be shown with a link to the others. When you click on the Duplicate Records link, you will see a new page with all of the duplicate results listed.

Export, Save, and Email

Above your results are links to email, export, or save selected results. To select records, use the checkboxes next to each result. Once results are selected, the "Email" and "Export/Save" links are activated.

Clicking on "selected records" link from the results page allows you to view only your selections in a new window.

Clicking on "Email" prompts you to fill out a form. On the form, you may choose to send your selected records in a format compatible with bibliographic citation managers like EndNote or ProCite, in plain text, or in HTML.

Clicking on "Export/Save" prompts you to fill out a similar form. You may choose to export your selected records directly to RefWorks, or to save the records either in a format compatible with bibliographic citation managers like EndNote or ProCite, as plain text, or as HTML.

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