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This short module on ProQuest Dialog™ shows how to use set searching. If you typically use command language on DataStar or Dialog, you will learn how to translate the powerful precision features of these services into ProQuest Dialog data retrieval.
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Advanced DataStar and Dialog searchers who are used to creating sets and testing iterations with a variety of concepts and synonyms will find familiar territory in ProQuest Dialog's set searching. Here they can enter complex search strategies to go beneath the surface and the use of field qualifiers will add to precision.
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We'll login with our ProQuest Dialog user id and password. This will take us to the opening screen.
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The opening screen presents nine subjects. From the top left of the screen we will click the down arrow next to Advanced and choose Command Line. That will allow us to search all available databases if we wish. Alternatively, we can choose a subject category and click Advanced there. Let's search databases in the subject group Energy & Environment.
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We'll begin our search in the databases in the Energy & Environment subject category. Since we want to use set searching, we'll click the down arrow next to Advanced and choose Command Line.
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The Command Line Search screen opens. ProQuest Dialog indicates we are in the Energy & Environment subject category and tells us we are searching 12 databases. The main focus of the page is the query box, where we'll enter our search terms. To the right, we can click on Search tips and we can view fields codes help.
Our topic has to do with renewable energy options for automobiles and trucks. We're going to use the building block approach to create search sets and then combine them. We'll create our first set using terms to find records that mention renewable or sustainable energy. Notice the use of parentheses around our ORed synonyms renewable or sustainable.
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Results appear. Click Modify search to get to Command Line Searching.
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Clear the form and enter the next statement. In this search we want to qualify our terms to the record titles only. The syntax for using field qualifiers appears above the query box. We can View field codes help for more details.
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In the field codes help, we can scroll down the list and see the fields we wish to incorporate. Notice Field Codes in the Table of Contents to the left.
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We'll search keywords on the title field only. This will create Set 2. We could OR in more than one field code separating them by commas. ProQuest Dialog lets us qualify to more than one field in a search statement. The comma acts as OR.
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Our results appear and we'll click Modify search to get back to Set searching.
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For Set 3 we would like to use proximity operators. Let's clear the form and click Search Tips to look at the operators and see syntax examples.
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Here's a quick comparison chart for Dialog, DataStar and ProQuest Dialog. The Boolean operators work the same in all three services. When we enter phrases in ProQuest Dialog, AND is assumed, so for adjacency, use quotation marks. Words in the same order within so many words can be found with PRE, slash, followed by the specified number. Words in either order within so many words can be found with NEAR, slash, followed by the specified number.
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To recap on proximity operators in ProQuest Dialog: use PRE, slash, specified number for exact order within so many words. For words in either order within so many words, use NEAR slash number. For adjacency, use quotation marks.
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We enter a more complex statement using synonyms within parentheses connected with the next term NEAR/3. This statement means "either flexible or alternative within three words of fuel – AND vehicle anywhere in the record." We're also LIMITing retrieval to records published within the last 12 months. When the results appear, click Modify search to get back to the Command Line Search page.
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Now we're going to use another feature available in Set searching. When we click Add search fields, options to select operators, such as AND, OR, Near, NOT appear, along with a drop-down list of fields.
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Browsing the available fields, we scroll down and choose Subjects, which has the field code SU. So our search statement is going to be electric truncated AND search terms qualified to the Subjects (SU) field. Click Add to form.
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The syntax is set up and now we can put our search terms within the parentheses for the Subjects field.
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Enter our search terms after the SU and within the parentheses.
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Our results return and now we'll click Modify search to work with the sets created so far.
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We scrolled down to view our sets. Now we'll enter our strategy to combine the sets we wish in the Combine searches box.
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Now we have our results. The nice thing about ProQuest Dialog is that here, we can qualify to RANKed entities, such as source types, keywords, journals, subjects or by databases. If we think of an additional term we'd like to add, we can Search within and narrow results. If we did any of these things it would create a new set. Let's click on the first title to get a sampling of our results.
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This article appears to be right on target and I can add it to My Research, email it to a colleague, print it out, cite it, export it, save it as a file and I can add tags. The right panel displays similar items after I click "See similar items."
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The lower part of the record contains linked descriptors, authors, bibliographic details, and the ability to add our own tags at the bottom.
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In our last application, we searched across all 12 databases in the Energy & Environment category. Now we'll show how easy it is to run a search in one targeted database, when it fits our needs and we want to take advantage of its specialized indexing. First, we'll show the steps to change to one database.
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To select specific databases, click on Change at the top of the screen. Next, clear all and scroll down to check the boxes to the left of the databases of choice. We'll search in Inspec® and take advantage of its indexing and fields.
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In set searching, we'll enter search terms to create the first search set.
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When our results come in for Set 1, we can browse Inspec's Classification codes RANKed by retrieval from our search strategy. We'll click More options to get an idea of what Classification Codes came up in our search.
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We'll browse the Classification Codes to see what terms might be useful in our next set.
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Now we'll enter search terms on the Classification Codes field code. We found cc by clicking View field codes help.
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From the results of the Classification codes search we'll click Modify search and continue our search strategy.
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We scroll down to the bottom of the Command Line Search screen and combine Sets 1 and 2.
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We got 83 highly relevant hits. We just thought of an additional term we want to add, so we'll click Search within.
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We want to narrow our search to only records which have the word design in them. Enter design in the Search within results box.
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Now we have highly-focused results and we're ready to proceed with previewing records or adding them to My Research, or we can click individual titles and look at the records and find similar articles.
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ProQuest Dialog created a set when we tried Search within, and now this set is available for us to work with and combine.
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Searchers who come from a DataStar or Dialog command-search background will feel at home with set searching on ProQuest Dialog. They will have the power to create complex search strategies, create sets and combine concepts. They will use the operators, connectors and field qualifiers to gain relevance and narrow in on highly focused records.