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Search Engine Tips
Single Keyword Searches. In the text entry box, type in the keyword of your choice. The Results page will provide you with a list of pages within the site that contain the keyword, ranked by how often the keyword appears on each page, and with links to those pages. If you have trouble finding the keyword within a particular page, try using your browser's word-search function to take you right to the keyword on the page. Click Control f in either Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Or, in Internet Explorer, click on EDIT on the top menu bar and choose FIND. In Netscape Navigator, click on EDIT on the top menu bar and choose FIND IN THIS PAGE.
Search Using Phrases. Use double quotes (" ") around specific phrases to search for them. For example:
- "Building Codes"
- "California State Agency"
As with single-word searches, the Results page will rank pages by how often the chosen phrase appears on each page. If phrases are not enclosed in quotation marks, the search engine will list pages that contain any one of the words in
the phrase even if the page does not contain the entire phrase. Wildcard Searches. ConstructionWebLinks' search engine also has a wildcard search capability. The asterisk symbol (*) is used to replace multiple characters in a wildcard search while the percent symbol (%) is used to replace only one character. For example, by typing the truncated term chemi*, the search engine will retrieve all pages that contain the character string "chemi," regardless of what comes after it. Thus, pages containing the words "chemical,"
"chemistry" or "chemist" would be retrieved. Alternatively, using the percent symbol will limit the wildcard feature to a single character. For example, the truncated search gene%logy will yield pages containing words beginning with "gene" and ending with "logy," locating pages containing the words "geneology" or "genealogy." This method is useful for searches involving commonly misspelled words or when you are unsure of the word's correct spelling. Wildcards can be used before or after a character string. Thus, a search for *wood would retrieve both "hardwood" and "softwood." Boolean (AND, OR, NOT) Searches. ConstructionWebLinks' search engine can perform Boolean searches (searches using and, or, not). By using one or a combination of these three connectors, you can either expand or limit your search. You also may use parenthetical expressions to create more complex searches. Here are several examples of Boolean searches: California OR Oregon
This search will find pages that contain either "California" or "Oregon." Using "OR" as a connector expands your search. California AND Oregon
This search will find only pages that contain both the words "California" and "Oregon." Using AND as a connector makes each word a required keyword, narrowing your search. California
NOT Oregon
This search will retrieve all pages that contain the word "California"
with the condition that the word "Oregon" not be on the page. Using
"NOT" as a connector narrows your search. California
AND (Oregon OR Nevada)
By using a parenthetical expression, you can perform
a compound search that will retrieve pages that contain the words "California"
and "Oregon" or that contain the words "California" and "Nevada." "California
State Court" NOT (Oregon or Nevada)
By utilizing both a phrased
term (in "quotes") and a parenthetical expression, this nested search
will retrieve pages that contain the phrase "California State Court"
but do not contain the words "Oregon" or "Nevada." In
order for Boolean connectors to work, you must not enclose them in quotes. For
example, AND in the quoted phrase "Travel and Transit"
will return only pages containing the specific phrase "Travel and Transit,"
but it will not be interpreted as the Boolean connector AND. In
addition, you may use the comma (,) as a substitute for the OR connector. So, a search for Oregon, California will retrieve pages containing either Oregon or California. You also may use the plus sign (+) as a substitute for the AND connector. For example, the search string +New +Jersey +State +Agency will
only retrieve pages that contain all of the words preceded by the plus sign. Conversely,
the minus sign (-) will act as an exclusionary connector, as does the connector
NOT. For example, the search string +New +Jersey +State +Agency -California
will yield only pages that contain all the of words preceded by the plus symbol
but only if the word "California" does not appear on the page. | 
