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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 a list view of subjects and available databases, or we can display industry icons. From here we can choose an industry or we can click Command Line. If we click Command Line without choosing a subject, we will be able to search all available databases. However, we're going to choose an industry category and get to Command Line from there. Let's search databases in the industry 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 Command Line searching, we'll link to Command Line.
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The Command Line Search screen opens. ProQuest Dialog indicates we are in the Energy & Environment industry category and tells the number of databases available. The main focus of the page is the query box, where we'll enter our search terms. Above the query box we can click on 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.
We can limit to a date range if desired, and we will limit our retrieval to records published within the last 12 months.
We'll click Preview result counts to create our first search set.
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Search set 1 appears below the query box in the Recent searches tab. We cleared the form and we're getting ready to enter the next statement. In this search we want to qualify our terms to the record titles, subject terms and identifiers only. The syntax for using field qualifiers appears below 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.
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Click the plus sign to the left of Field Codes to find fields for some specific databases.
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We'll search keywords on the title, subjects and identifier fields only. This will create Set 2. Note that we can OR in more than one field code separating them by commas. The comma acts as OR. Click Preview result counts.
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Our results appear. We have cleared the form and we're ready to enter our next query.
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For Set 3 we would like to use proximity operators. We clicked 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 or use PRE slash 0. Words in the same order within so many words can be found with PRE, slash, followed by the specified number. So to mirror the DataStar NEXT operator — words in exact order within five words use PRE slash 5. Words in either order within 5 words can be found with NEAR, slash, followed by 5, to mirror the DataStar NEAR. You can specify any number with PRE or NEAR.
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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 or PRE slash 0.
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We enter a more complex statement using synonyms within parentheses connected with the next term NEAR/3 and another term NEAR/10. This statement means “either flexible or alternative within three words of fuel and vehicle within 10 words in either order. We'll press Preview result counts.
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We've cleared the form. By pressing the down arrow under Actions, we find actions we can take when we are ready to do so. More about this later.
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We'll combine the concepts in the three sets by entering s1 and s2 and s3 and this time we'll press Search so we can browse retrieved records.
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And out of all those records in the separate sets, these records in Set 4 fit the criteria of renewable or sustainable energy AND ethanol or corn or soy or sugar, qualified to certain fields AND flexible or alternative fuel for vehicles.
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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, NOT, Near, PRE 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 allowing for five trailing characters AND search terms qualified to the SU (Subjects) 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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We enter our search terms after the SU and within the parentheses. In the Search options tab we see that our date-range limit to records published during the last 12 months remains. We could change that limit if we wished or we could keep it. For this search we'll keep it and press Preview result counts.
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Our result counts return and now we'll work with our sets. We'll combine the concepts from Sets 1, 3 and 5 by entering s1 and s3 and s5 and press Search in order to see the records the search retrieves.
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We have very targeted articles. The nice thing about ProQuest Dialog is that here on the Results page, we can qualify to RANKed facets, such as publication titles, subjects, classification terms or authors. 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 we would create a new set. On the Results page We can preview records, but for now, let's click on a 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 Selected items, email it to a colleague, print it out, cite it, export it, save it as a file and I can add tags.
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The lower part of the record contains hyperlinked descriptors, authors, bibliographic details, and the ability to add our own tags at the bottom. (Not shown.)
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In our last application, we searched across all the 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 particular databases.
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To select specific databases, click on databases at the top of the screen. Next, click Select all twice to clear the check boxes. Then click View by industry and look for Engineering & Technology databases. We'll choose Inspec® and take advantage of its indexing and fields by pressing Use selected databases.
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In Command Line Search we'll enter our terms and press Search to create the first set.
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When our results come in for Set 1, we can browse Inspec's indexing and see RANKed terms. We'll click the plus sign next to Classification to get an idea of what Classification Codes came up in our search.
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We have Set 1. Now we'll enter search terms on the Classification field code. We found the field code cc by clicking Field codes next to Tips, and we could also have found it in the drop-down Select field list. We'll press Preview result counts.
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Now, we'll combine the concepts in Sets 1 and 2 by entering s1 and s2 in the query box and we'll press Search.
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We got some 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 that 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 and selecting records we wish to keep, view and work with later in the session.
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ProQuest Dialog created sets each time we tried an iteration and now these sets are available for us to work with and combine. We can take actions, such as Save search, Delete, Create Alert, Create an RSS feed or Get link. Let's save our search.
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We can choose just the last line of the search or we can save our sets. We'll choose to save the four sets of our search.
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We'll give our saved search a name and choose which sets we wish to include in the search strategy.
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If we are transactional customers, ProQuest Dialog advises us of the charge to keep a saved search. We'll press Continue to save the search.
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ProQuest Dialog tells us that we have successfully saved the search. To see it, we will close the message and go to My Research.
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We'll go to My Research to see our Saved search. Notice that we're now in all the available databases. If we want to go back to the original database, we'll want to go through the database change process.
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We can review our saved searches by clicking the Searches tab. One is from an earlier session. On this recent one we click Show to see the sets. We can add notes if we wish. To execute the saved search from time to time, we can click on the hyperlinked Searched for line and follow the prompts to specify update limiters.
From My Research if we're not planning to execute the Saved search right now, we can go Back to results or we can click Recent searchesto see what we've done so far in the session.
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One of the main benefits of saving a search is to be able to run it from time to time to check for new developments and updates. To execute a saved search, click on the hyperlink on the Searched for line. We'll choose to get updates from records added in the last 30 days.
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To run the search in the original database in which it was created and saved, click Use original databases.
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We can browse our retrieved records, select what we want and work with our updated data. We have the ability here to quickly download all our records along with the search strategy.
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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.
