MetaSearch

MetaSearch allows you to search up to 15 databases and catalogues at one time.

Searching in MetaSearch

1. From the Select Search Type dropdown menu, select Categories.
2. From the Category dropdown menu, select a subject eg Tourism.
3. From the Sub Categories list, select Key, Other or ALL resources to search.

   

4. Tick the check boxes next to the resources you wish to search. If there are 15 or less resources in the selected subcategory, the boxes will all be ticked.
   Note: Resources without a check box cannot be searched by MultiSearch, instead you may go directly to the resource by clicking on the resource name.
5. Select either Simple or Advanced search, type search terms and click Go.

Simple search

1. Enter a word or phrase in the search box, for example:
   "tourism management" (Quotation marks are needed for phrase searching.)
   tour? (use ? to retrieve tours, tourist, tourists, touring, tourism etc)
2. Click Go

Advanced search

Use Advanced search to limit your search to a specific field such as subject, year or ISSN.

1. Select Advanced tab to switch to Advanced searching.
2. The default setting is to search All fields. Click the 'down arrow' to reselect another field if required.
3. Enter a word or phrase in the first search box.
4. To narrow or broaden your search, choose And / Or / Without from the drop down menu to the right, enter another word or phrase in the second search box. Use or to search for multiple years eg 2002 or 2003 or 2004.
5. Click Go

MetaSearch results

The screen refreshes several times when a search is in progress. Once MultiSearch has finished searching, it displays the first set of combined results sorted by rank. You can re-sort the results by title, author, year and database.

Click combine more to get more results.

Viewing results

Results can be viewed in Table, Brief or Full view.

• Click Check for full text icon to locate full text and other options.
• Click Full text available icon or to open the document in full text.
• Click 'Add to basket' icon to add records to e-shelf in My Space.
• Click on title will open the record in Full view.
• Click on Database name will link you to its original interface.

Brief view - sorted by Year

Full view displays one full record with additonal features such as saving and emailing records. If full text is available, a full text icon will appear. Full view may also include full text or have an 'External' link to full text.

Browsing through the results

• Click Next or Previous to display another page of results.
• Click << to jump to beginning or >> to jump to the end of the result list.
• Click (combine more) link to fetch more results. A larger set of results including the initial set will be displayed. The new records will be integrated into the list of results and marked with the new icon

Viewing results by databases

Viewing combined results by Topics, Dates, Authors and Journal titles

Click on 'All retrieved records' will take you back to view all records retrieved in the last search.

Refining search results

MetaSearch allows you to narrow or broaden the original search results ie the complete set of results from all selected databases searched. From the menu options at the top of the screen, click the Refine link. In the new window add further search term/s. Use And / Or / Not and select required Field to search.

see: Saving and emailing records

see: Saved searches and email alerts

Logging out

Click on Logout when you have finished searching MultiSearch.

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