Advanced Search Guide

Search Guide: Introduction | Basic Search | Advanced Search | Power Search | Multi-Libraries Search

Please note that OCC Libraries' four search screens are customized. The help screens, of which this is one, are also customized. Therefore, for search screen help, you should look to these customized help screens. For help with other screens--search results, your account, etc.--please select the Help button on the upper right of the particular screen.

Use your browser's back button to return to the search screen to preserve any search you have already done.

Use ADVANCED SEARCH when you know at least the beginning words of a title, author, or subject. Use this search screen when you have relatively specific information about the item you seek. For example, if you know the first two or three words of a title in order, not just a couple of words somewhere in the title, use the "title starts with" search on the advanced search screen. Your search will proceed faster than a keyword search.

**The table below provides tips on the searches and gives some examples.**
FIELD	TIPS	EXAMPLES [EXPLANATIONS]
TITLE starts with	If title starts with an article--a, an, or the--omit that and start with next word. Do not have to enter the entire title.	sound and the fury [initial "the" omitted]] for whom the bell t [only first letter of last word tolls] postman always rings [last word twice omitted]
AUTHOR (last, first)	Enter last name, then comma, then first name. May enter only the last name, or just part of the last name.	dickinson, emily [full name, last name first] hawking, s [only first letter of first name stephen] steinbe [last two letters ck of last name omitted]
SUBJECT starts with	For best results, consult Library of Congress Subject Headings (explained) for search terms (ask a librarian for help). Also, medical (MeSH) and juvenile subjects are included in this search. Also, medical (MeSH) and juvenile subjects are included in this search. If subject search does not work, try subject keyword search on the basic search screen.	industrial management [entire subject heading] biolog [shortened term gets broad results, may need to narrow--e.g., biology -- experiments] faulkner [subject search gets books about, not by, faulkner]
JOURNAL/NEWSPAPER starts with	This works like title search above, except it's limited to journals, magazines, and newspapers.	wall street j [omits all but first letter of last word journal] american journal of sociology [entire title] sky & telesco [omits last two letters of telescope]
ISBN exact match	Must include all characters of the International Standard Book Number.	0679454926 [book called American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence]
ISSN exact match	Must include all characters of the International Standard Serial Number.	0040-781X [Time magazine]
LC call number starts with	Enter as many characters of a call number as you know to locate materials on a particular subject. (Honolulu Community College Library has an excellent tutorial on Understanding Call Numbers.)	ha201 [gets statistics about the United States]

While you may enter only a few letters, including partial words at the end of your search string, the more you enter, the more focused will be your results. For example, entering only sound in the title field would force you to browse through potentially dozens of titles starting with that word before you got to "The Sound and the Fury." Similarly, entering fau in the author field would eventually lead you to "Faulkner," but you would have to browse alphabetically in your search results through "Faucett," Faucher," "Fauci," etc.

When checking for a journal, magazine, or newspaper title, keep in mind that many scholarly and professional publications start with the phrases "american journal of..." or simply "journal of... ." For best results enter the next word, or at least the beginning of it--e.g., journal of american sociology or journal of social psych.

NOTE: This search tells you whether an OCC library subscribes to a particular journal, magazine, or newspaper in either print or electronic form. However, it does not search for articles within the publications. Go to Articles / Databases to search inside publications for particular articles. You don't have to know the name or author of a particular article; you can search for articles on a subject.