Module 7.
OCLC Firstsearch
How to Access Firstsearch
How to Search Firstsearch

Contents:
Introduction
Module 1: How to Solve an Information Problem
Module 2: Search Techniques
Module 3: SD Library Network
Module 4: Proquest
Module 5: Infotrac
Module 6: Lexis-Nexis
Module 8: 
Module 9: 
Module 10: 
Module 11: Internet Searching
Module 12: Evaluating Internet sources
Module 13: Scholarly vs. Popular
Module 14: Citing sources
Module 15: How to Get Material Not Available Online

Module 7 How to Search Firstsearch

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After logging in ...

1.  Use the "Database" links on the left side of the screen to select databases.  Choose: list of databases, databases by topic, or "suggest best databases."

2. Choose which databases to search. Select a database to search by clicking in the "Select" box beside the database. Then click on the Select button to get to a search screen for that database.

3. Notice in the left margin of the screen that "Searching" may be done in one of 3 modes: basic, advanced or expert.  Click on the Advanced mode.  

4. Enter terms in search box (or boxes).  See "Search Techniques in Firstsearch" below to learn how to enter searches. [For search tips when using Firstsearch, click on the Help icon at the top right side of the Firstsearch screen.] 

5. Select the index (Keyword, author, etc.) in which term(s) should be searched from the drop-down menu on the right side of the search box.

6. Select limits such as English only and/or publication years.

7. Click on the search button (this is the action which costs money).

8.   View the results and select items of interest. You can look at the items found as you want as often and as long as you want.  The only cost is when you click on the "Search" button (or if you display a full-text article - which you cannot do without a special password).

Search Techniques in Firstsearch

These search techniques and descriptions may also be found by linking to "Help" within Firstsearch.

The following search techniques may be used to improve your searches in Firstsearch:

1. Boolean operators: AND , OR , NOT

AND

Type and between two words in a search to specify that records found contain both words regardless of how many other words are between them.

If you type two search words with only a space between them, FirstSearch processes the search as if and was between them.

Examples:

If you type: civil war and stone river
FirstSearch searches for: civil and war and stone and river
(Finds items containing civil, war, stone, and river with any number of other words between them.)

If you type: civil war stone river
Firstsearch searches for: Same as previous example.

OR

Type or between two words in a search to specify that records found contain either of the words. You can type or only once or twice in a search.

Examples:

If you type: manage or management
FirstSearch searches for: Items containing either manage or management.

If you type: car or automobile or vehicle
FirstSearch searches for: Items containing car or automobile or vehicle
with any number of other words between them.

NOT

Type not between two words in a search to specify that records found contain the first word but not the second. (If you want to use not as a search word instead of using it to combine other search words, type it in quotation marks. For example, to search for a title containing, death be not proud, type death be "not" proud.)

Examples:

If you type: jazz not blues
FirstSearch searches for: Items containing jazz, excluding items containing blues.

If you type: automobile not accidents
FirstSearch searches for: Items containing automobile, excluding items containing accidents.

2. Parentheses

You can use parentheses in a search to specify the order in which FirstSearch combines search words. It combines words in parentheses first. For example, if you want to find information about baseball teams named Brewers or baseball teams named Twins, you get different results if you type baseball and brewers or twins than if you type baseball and (brewers or twins).

If you type baseball and brewers or twins, FirstSearch first finds all records that contain both baseball and brewers, then it finds all the records that contain twins whether or not those records also contain baseball, and then it lists all those records for you. The list could include many records about twins that have nothing to do with baseball.

If you type baseball and (brewers or twins), FirstSearch first finds all records that contain either brewers or twins, then it selects any of those records that also contain baseball. All the records found contain either brewers and baseball or twins and baseball.

FirstSearch uses the following rules when it processes a search containing and, or, or not:

• It processes and, or, or not in left-to-right order unless ( ) are used.
• It processes and, or, or not in ( ) first.
• If there is more than one ( ) in a search, it processes them in left-to-right order.
• If there are ( ) within ( ), it processes them from innermost to outermost.
• It processes two words with only a space between them as if "and" was between them and they were enclosed in parentheses. For example, if you type civil war or stone river, FirstSearch processes it as if you had typed (civil and war) or (stone and river).

3. Phrase searching, by using the connector: W (with)

Type w between two words to specify that records found contain both words, in the order typed, with no other words between them. To search for the phrase "stone river" type: stone w river.

Examples:

If you type: nursing w research
FirstSearch searches for: Items containing first nursing and then research with no other words between them.

If you type: civil w war
FirstSearch searches for: items containing first civil and then war with no other words between them.

4. Truncation, by using the * (asterisk) character 

To search for a word with alternative word endings, type * (asterisk) after the letters which the words have in common. For example, to search for the words: grateful, gratefulness, gratefully .... find the beginning letters they have in common (grateful) and place the asterisk at the end to replace the alternative word endings: grateful*

Examples:

If you type: psychi*
New FirstSearch searches for: psychiatrist, psychiatry, and psychic

If you type: coach*
New FirstSearch searches for: coach, coaches

If you type: educat*
New FirstSearch searches for: educate, educators, educates, education, educational

~~ A message from your librarian.....
You must complete Module 7 in order to receive an authorization number and password for Firstsearch. Now that you are almost finished with this module, here are the instructions for getting the authorization and password.
Please follow instructions exactly to ensure that you receive the authorization and password. Send an e-mail message to reference@dsu.edu.

1. In the body of the message, you must type: I have finished module 7 and need the password for Firstsearch.
2. You must include your full name and e-mail address.

You will receive the authorization and password by e-mail. It is for your use only during the semester you are enrolled. ~~

5. Nearness or Proximity -- w or n

Type w and a number (1-25) between two words to specify that records found contain both words, in the order typed, with no more than that number of other words between them.

Examples:

If you type: nursing w3 research
FirstSearch searches for: Items containing first nursing and then research with no more than three other words between them.

Type n between two words to specify that records found contain both words, in any order, with no other words between them. Type n and a number (1-25) between two words to specify that records found contain both words, in any order, with no more than that number of other words between them.

Examples:

If you type: overview n 1996
FirstSearch searches for: Items containing overview and 1996 with either word appearing first and with no other words between them.

If you type: larynx n3 imaging
FirstSearch searches for: Items containing larynx and imaging with either word appearing first and with no more than three other words between them.

END OF MODULE 7.  
Continue to next page to begin MODULE 8.

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