There are three ways to search your RefWorks database:
Search RefWorks box (also known as Quick Search)
Search RefWorks (Quick Search)
The Search RefWorks box searches all fields (with the exception of Reference Type), including Abstract and User Definable, and all search terms are connected by the Boolean connector OR. It also searches for embedded terms, i.e., if you search for "art" you will retrieve references with "heart", "part" etc. To narrow your search to specific fields and specific combinations of terms, use the Advanced Search feature. Searches are not case sensitive so you do not need to use capital letters.
To perform a Search:
Type your search terms in the Search RefWorks box.
Click Go.
The results of the search are always ranked by relevancy. A document earns a relevance rating based on the number of words in the search query that it contains, and the weight value of each of those words.
References containing all of the words in a query several times are ranked at the top. References containing all of the words in a query are ranked above references containing only some portion of the words. The first word in your search query is given a higher priority than other words, so references containing just the first word rank above ones containing just the second or third word.
After you have performed a search, the results appear in the main view area. From this view you can delete references, add them to a folder, or add a descriptor to a reference.
Use the Advanced Search option for a very specific search of your database, choosing a specific field (or fields) in which you want to search. You can connect multiple fields (up to four in one search query) by Boolean operators. The results of an Advanced Search appear alphabetically by author.
To perform an advanced search:
From the Search menu select Advanced.
Select the first field to search.
You can also select Anywhere to perform a search for a particular term or phase in any field. The Anywhere search is similar to the Search RefWorks feature but may be combined with other criteria.
Type a corresponding search term. If you want RefWorks to include empty fields in your search, check the Search for Empty Field box next to the search value.
Note: Certain fields do not have the Search for Empty Field option. These fields are Source Type, Reference Type, Ref ID, Attachments, All Authors, All Periodicals and the Anywhere field.
To search more than one field select the Boolean connector you want to use:
|
Connector |
Description |
|
AND |
Use AND to narrow the search to retrieve records that contain all of the words it separates. |
|
OR |
Use OR to broaden the search and retrieve records containing any of the words it separates. |
|
NOT |
And use NOT to narrow the search and retrieve records that do not contain the term following it. |
Repeat the process for each field you want to search.
To search the entire database click Search: All References. To narrow the search, click Only References in and then select the folders to be searched.
Click Search.
In all fields except Descriptor, Advanced Search is similar to the Search RefWorks feature in that it looks for embedded terms. In the Descriptor field, Advanced search looks for the exact search term. If you type in the word "art" you find only references with the word "art" as a descriptor; you will not find words like "heart" or "part".
After you have performed a search, the results appear in the main view area. From this view you can delete references, add them to a folder, or add a descriptor to a reference.
You can use the look up options to access browsable indexes of author, descriptor, or periodical information.
To search by a specific author, descriptor, or periodical:
From the Search menu select the appropriate lookup option (Author, Descriptor, or Periodical).
An alphabetical list appears followed by the number of references containing that term.
Click the author, descriptor, or periodical you want to retrieve. You can use the alphabetical listing at the top to navigate to additional windows.
