HOME : SUPPORT : TRAINING : ONLINE COURSES
Welcome
Lesson 1: Choosing a Database
Lesson 2: Planning a Search Strategy
Lesson 3: Using Dialog Search Commands
Lesson 4: Managing Search Results
Lesson 5: Refining a Search (Part 1)
Lesson 6: Refining a Search (Part 2)
Lesson 7: Wrapping Up the Course

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Using the databases selection tool—DIALINDEX (continued)

When the list of databases in the Major U.S. Newspapers category displays, I see some old favorites like the New York Times and the Boston Globe and some less famous papers like St. Petersburg Times in Florida. Learn More

Tip 1-2

I want to search the entire category to see which papers have information on the PlayStation 2.

Tip 1-3

Above the list of databases is the Databases command text box where I can enter my search strategy. For now, I will type a SELECT command followed by my search terms.

select playstation2 and interactive
 Tip 1-4

Don't worry about how to write the strategy; I will go into more detail about creating search strategies in Lesson 2.

Now, I will click the Search button to proceed.

Go to the next page.


1-5
Next page

Authoritative Answers Enriched by ProQuest

Learn More #5:

Knowing the content of databases is extremely important to get accurate search results. I often look at the database descriptions to get specific information about the database content.

For example, if we want to search The New York Times and the Boston Globe, we can click the titles of the papers and review complete descriptions of each newspaper.

I should probably review several databases here before deciding on my choice, especially if I want to see what the focus of specific regional newspapers is. This is especially important when the databases contain more diverse information.

File Description

The Boston Globe database contains the fulltext of all staff-written news stories, features, columns and editorials published in The Boston Globe, the largest source of information from the Northeast. The Globe offers reports on national and international issues in its national/foreign section. On a more local level, topics covered include politics, business, science and technology, real estate, the arts, entertainment and sports. Special emphasis is given to area politics, high technology and local environmental issues. The Boston Globe focuses much of its attention on the numerous high-tech companies in Boston and its vicinity.

Search Tip 1-4

Dialog is not case-sensitive; search commands and terms may be entered using upper- or lower-case letters.

Examples
SELECT frontier AND merger
select Frontier and Merger

Search Tip 1-3

We can clear checkboxes by clicking the specific ones we do not want to include, or we can click the Clear Selections button to clear all checkmarks and choose fewer databases.

Search Tip 1-2

Requesting the database description opens a second copy of our Web browser. We can leave this open for reference during the search.

We simply click the original page on the desktop if it is visible, use ALT+TAB to switch between screens, or use the "boxes" on the bottom menu bar in Windows.