- OPTIONAL. Locate the search parameter settings boxes at the top of the form.
There are two. The first contains the default "Search the Web",
and the second contains the default "for documents in any language."
You can accept these defaults or modify them by clicking on the blinks  at the left of either setting box.
You may opt to search the Web for WWW sites or
Usenet for articles posted to newsgroups. Click
on the option of your choice.
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You may opt to search for sites and articles in any language
or you may chose from the list of displayed languages available by using the scroll bar and
clicking on the language of your choice.
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- REQUIRED. Enter your search terms and search strategy in the main entry box.
AltaVista advanced query syntax allows the use of Boolean (logical) and proximity operators.
Their use and effects are shown in the table below:
Boolean and Proximity Operators:
| AND |
Narrows
Terms or phrases linked with this Boolean operator
must appear in all documents found. For example, PARIS AND TOURISM
would retrieve only documents which contained the terms PARIS and
TOURISM. The occurrence of both these terms in a document, however, does
not necessarily mean they are conceptually linked or even in close proximity.
False coordinations (mistaken matches) are common.
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| OR |
Broadens
When terms or phrases are linked with this Boolean operator
only one need be present in any of the documents found. For example,
TOURISM OR TOUR OR TOURS OR TOURING would retrieve all documents in
which any of the
terms appeared. This is useful for building concepts from related terms which
have the same or similar meanings but are spelled differently.
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| NOT |
Excludes
When a term or phrase is preceded by this Boolean operator it is excluded
absolutely from the results. Any document that contains the term excluded
will not be returned. For example,
PARIS NOT TOURISM would retrieve only documents which mentioned PARIS
but which did not contain the term TOURISM. It is possible that some of
the excluded documents may have been of interest. Use NOT logic with
some caution.
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| NEAR |
Focuses
When two terms or phrases are linked with this
proximity operator AltaVista will locate documents in which the words
appear within ten (10) words of one another in the text. Proximity of
terms often implies a conceptual link. Using the NEAR proximity
opeartor between terms or phrases can greatly focus your search. For example,
PARIS NEAR TOURISM would ensure that the two terms appeared at within
the same sentence or, at least, within the same paragraph in the documents found.
That is a pretty good indication that they will be on the subject.
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- OPTIONAL. Find the Ranking Criteria input box
just below the main search entry box. It is labeled "Ranking:"
You may enter terms here which AltaVista will use to rank or sort the output from your
search. Sites and articles containing the terms you enter in this box will be placed
toward the top of your search output. This is a very powerful feature which will help
to make the job of screening your search results much easier. Although the feature is
optional, you can and should make use of it in most instances.
A clever way to use this feature is to put the most important of the search terms
in your strategy in this box and the most general, or less important search terms
in the main entry box. This assures that the most relevant items found will appear
at the top of the search output.
- OPTIONAL. Find the Date Range input boxes
to the right of the Ranking Criteria input box.
You can use these boxes to indicate
to AltaVista to what specific range of dates you wish to restrict the search output.
Generally, it is not advisable to restrict searches for WWW sites to a specific date
range. The results can be unpredictable. The feature is best used when searching for
articles from newsgroups (Usenet).
- REQUIRED. When you have set all the appropriate search parameters and entered your search terms,
sorting criteria and date ranges, if any, just click on the button labeled "Search."
AltaVista will execute the search and report results to you.
NOTE that the appearance of
the screen may not change appreciably after your search is complete because AltaVista
reiterates your search strategy input at the top of the results. Scroll down to see
your search results when your browser indicates that the search is "done."
- OPTIONAL. Locate the Precise Count check box
located toward the bottom of the Advanced Search Form.
If you place a check in this box before you click on
the "Search" button to execute your inquiry AltaVista will return only an approximate
count of the number of items you can expect to retrieve with the search strategy you
have entered. If the expected number of returned items is acceptable you can then
execute the stratey and see results by deselecting or removing the check from this
box and clicking on "Search" again.
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