Search Tips
Definitions
Thesaurus:a list of words which are applicable to a particular subject area.
Truncation:the addition of a symbol at the end of a word so the computer will look for all variations of the word. Some databases automatically truncate.
Wildcard: A special character such as an asterisk (*) or a question mark (?) that can be used to represent one or more characters.
American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - Automatic
- Wildcards - None
- Phrase searching - No
American Institute of Physics
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - No
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - Automatic
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Automatic
Annual Reviews
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Citation alerts
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - automatic
- Wildcards - ? stands for a character within a word; * stands for zero or more characters at the end of a word.
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
AustLII
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - No
- Option to email searches - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcards - ? stands for a character within a word
- Phrase searching - Automatic
AustLit
- Thesaurus - Yes
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - *
- Phrase searching - Automatic
Cambridge Journals Online
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcards - None
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
CCH
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts Not via the database but Daily Email Alert is offered by CCH : a free daily briefing of the key developments in your chosen field. These are sent as headlines to your desktop, with links to the full story. Alerts include legislation updates, tax rulings, and case information.
- Option to email searches - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcards - *
- Phrase searching - Automatic
Cochrane Library
- Thesaurus - Yes (MESH)
- Alerts - No
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to rerun searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - None
- Phrase searching - Automatic
CSA
Includes the databases: ATLA, ERIC, GEOref, Sociological Abstracts, Zoological
Records and more...
- Thesaurus - Some databases
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes (for 6months)
- Truncation - *
- Wildcards - Use * for multi-characters, use ? for single character
- Phrase searching - Automatic
CSIRO
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - No
Current Contents Connect/Web of Science
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - Use * for multicharacters, use ? for a single character
- Phrase searching - Automatic
EBSCOhost
Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, Sociological Collection and more...
- Thesaurus - For some databases
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
Emerald
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - * or use truncation check box
- Wildcard - No
- Phrase searching - Use phrase check box
Expanded Academic ASAP
- Thesaurus - Online index
- Alerts - No
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - No, but searches can be saved in browser
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
Factiva
- Thesaurus - Index searching
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Automatic
Film Index International
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - No
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - No
- Phrase searching Use - “…”
FirstSearch
Includes the databases GEOBASE and PAIS. Requires a login and password.
- Thesaurus - Uses an index
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - Use # for a single character, use / for none to 9 characters
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
Global Market Information Database - Euromonitor
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - No
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - No
- Phrase searching - Use “…”
Historical Abstracts
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
IEEE Xplore
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Automatic
INFORMIT
Includes the databases: AGIS plus, APA-FT, APAIS, DELTAA, ENDANGER, SIAL and many more...
- Thesaurus -Sometime databases
- Alerts - No
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
Ingenta Select
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
Kluwer Online
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Automatic
LawBookCo.com.au
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Not available from the database, but Thomson Lawbook does provide access to a Daily Digest – provides alerts to changes in legislation, case law and policy in twelve key practice areas.
- Option to email searches - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - use "..."
LawLex
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email searches - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - No
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
LexisNexis AU (formerly Butterworths Online)
- Thesaurus No, although “Australian Legal Words & Phrases” is available via the Research folder. Designed as a comprehensive index to words and phrases defined in Australian legislation or interpreted and considered in judgments of the superior courts from 1900 to date.
- Alerts. Not via the database, but a range of alert services is available via http://www.lexisnexis.com.au/aus/services/updates.asp Options include: Content Notifier: a free email service notifying you whenever LexisNexis reports, journals or bulletins are updated. The table of contents of the latest issue are delivered in PDF format. · E-alert: a free E-alert providing access to the latest announcements, developments and releases of LexisNexis publications and services. · Online Updates for Books: free electronic updates and supplements for LexisNexis books.
- Option to email searches - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - "..."
Literature Resource Center
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - No
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
OVID
Includes the databases: Biosis, Cinahl, Inspec, Mantis, Medline,
MLA, PsycInfo,
and more...
- Thesaurus - Yes
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - $
- Wildcard - Use #, or ? for 1 or no characters
- Phrase searching - Automatic
Oxford Journals
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Automatic
Philosopher’s Index
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - No
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
- Phrase searching - Automatic
Project Muse
- Thesaurus - Uses an online dictionary
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - No
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
Royal Society of Chemistry
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - Stem searches automatically
- Wildcard - No
- Phrase searching - No
ScienceDirect
- Thesaurus- broad subject headings
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - !
- Wildcard - *
- Phrase searching - Automatic
Sociology of Education Abstracts
- Thesaurus- No
- Alerts - No
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - No
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
Source OECD
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - Stem searches automatically
- Wildcard - No
- Phrase searching - Automatic
SpringerLINK
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - Use ** to find all vatiations of a word e.g sink, sank, sunk
- Phrase searching - Use "..."
Synergy
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - Stem searches automatically
- Wildcard - No
- Phrase searching - Use “…”
TimeBase
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Available via the LawTracker service
- Option to email searches - No
- Option to re-run saved searches - No
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - ?
Wiley Interscience
- Thesaurus - No
- Alerts - Yes
- Option to email search results - Yes
- Option to re-run saved searches - Yes
- Truncation - *
- Wildcard - *
- Phrase searching - Use “…”