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Advanced Search

Advanced Search enables you to form and combine search sets. For example:

Set #3 consists of records in which cell death or apoptosis appears in the Title and Japan or Russia appears in the Addresses field.

An advanced search usually begins with at least two queries consisting of search terms prefaced by field tags.

We recommend users search terms in the language of the local interface language they select. For example, if you select the Arabic language, type search terms in Arabic. Your search results may not always be accurate when you combine two different language (e.g., English and Arabic).

For advanced search, you can use field tags, Boolean characters, and wildcards. However, as you type in the advanced search field, the local language dictates how field tags, Boolean characters, wildcards display in the field.

For example, in the Arabic local interface, if you type #1 OR #3 in the advanced search field, the text displays: OR #1 #3 and will return the correct results based on #1 OR #3.

Note: Author and publication source name search aids are always in English regardless of the selected local interface language.

The Search History table at the bottom of the page displays all successful searches that you ran during the current session. Search sets are listed in the Search History table in reverse numerical order - the most recently created set is at the top of the table.

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Using Advanced Search

1. Go to the More Settings section of the search page if you need to change your settings.

2. Enter your search query in the Advanced Search text box using the two-character field tags.

3. Click Search.

4. In the Search History table, click the link in the Results column to go to a Results page to view the results of your search.

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Combine Sets

The search sets are listed in the Search History table in reverse numerical order - the most recently created set is at the top of the table.

To combine two or more sets:

1. Click the AND or OR option under the Combine Sets column.

2. Select the check box under the Combine Sets column of each set that you want to combine.

3. Click the Combine button.

4. Click the link in the Results column to view the results of your search.

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Combining Sets (Examples)

#1 (or any set number)

Refreshes the results of a search query. In this instance, you may want to first select a different timespan change your other settings.

#1 AND #2

Finds all records that appear in both set #1 and set #2.

#2 NOT #3

Finds all records in set #2 that are not in set #3.

#2 OR #3

Finds all records that are in set #2 and set #3 including records common to both sets.

(#2 NOT #1) AND #3

Finds all records in set #2 that are not in set #1, and only those records that are in both set #2 and set #3.

(#1 OR #2 OR #4) AND #3

Finds all records in set #1, set #2, or set #4 that are also present in set #3.

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Save History / Create Alert

Save History/Create Alert gives you the option to save search queries and open them later.

Click Save History / Create Alert  to save your search and create an alert (only available from the Core Collection database). If you want to save a search query to your local drive, click Save search history to a local drive; you can always import the file later from the Searches and Alerts page.

You can save up to 40 search sets from the Search History table. A search history contains the search query and selected settings for each search query. 

At this time, alerts are not available for Compound Searches.

See also Save Search History

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Save a Search History as an Alert

If your organization subscribes to our alerting service, and you have a subscription to Web of Science Core Collection, you can save a search history as an alert. Alerting is only available in the Web of Science Core Collection database.

Alerts automatically search the last update to the database and emails relevant results to you. For example, if your search history is on Nanotechnology, our system emails new works on this topic.

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Open Saved History

1. From the Search History or Advanced Search page, click the Open Saved History button in the Search History table to go to the Saved Searches and Alerts overlay dialog.

2. Click the Open button of the needed search history file from the host server or from your local workstation.

3. From the Select Database(s) and Timespan page, change your timespan and settings, if needed.

4. Click the Save As My Defaults button if you want to save your revised settings so that they are available each time you open this particular search history file. This step is optional.

5. Click the Continue button to go to the Search History page.

6. Click the desired number link under the Results column to go to the Results page to view and / or output your records.

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Delete Sets

From the Search History or Advanced Search page:

• Select the check box in the Delete Sets column of the unwanted search query, and then click Delete to remove the search history set from the Search History table.

Or

• Click the Select All button to select all search queries, and then click Delete to remove all of the search historys set from the Search History table.

Dependent Sets: After you click Delete, the product checks for dependent sets. Selected sets that are not referenced in other sets are deleted. If, however, a set is referenced in a set that is not selected for deletion, the product returns the following error message.

At least one of the sets you have selected to delete is referenced in a set combination. We have marked the affected set combinations for you. Please verify the checkmarks and click DELETE to remove the sets.

In this instance, the product marks the Delete Sets check box of both the original set marked for deletion and the referenced set. You can either delete both sets or neither set.

Example 1: You create a set combination (set #3) that includes sets #1 and #2. You cannot delete set #1 because set #3 (the referenced set) is dependent on set #1. You can, however, delete both sets #1 and #3.

Example 2: You create a set (set #2) by using the Refine Results option from the Results page. You cannot delete this set because it is dependent upon the original parent set (set #1). You can, however, delete both sets.

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Set Combination Search Rules

• Include a number (#) sign before each set number.

• Include Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) in set combinations.

• Do not use wildcards in set combinations.

• Use parentheses to override operator precedence.