To get the best possible search results, try using the following tips:
Use quotation marks around phrases:
Use quotation marks to find words that must appear adjacent to each other within a phrase.
For example, search for within quotes rather than just .
Check spelling:
Make sure your search terms are spelt correctly. The search engine will attempt to find words that sound similar to your search terms, but it is always best to spell the search terms correctly.
Use multiple words: Use multiple words when performing your search. Using more words for a search will return more results than a search from a single word. For example, to find references to the militia, try .
Use similar words: Use synonyms or closely
related words. Using several synonyms will increase the likelihood of finding the information you want. For example, to find information about Winckley Square Gardens, try
Use appropriate capitalization: Use capitalization when looking for proper nouns such as the name of a person or place. Lowercase search words will match document words of either case.
Use Boolean plus (+) or minus (-) operators: Precede a
search term or phrase with a plus (+) sign to indicate it must appear in a search result. Precede a search term with a minus (-) sign to indicate an undesirable search term or phrase that must not appear in a search result. For example, searching for will return results that are about , but not about .
Note: A phrase must be contained within quotation marks. Leave no spaces between the plus or minus sign and the term.
Use field searches: Field searches allow you to search
for words that appear in a specific part of a document such as the body text , title text , alt text