Search Help

NOTE: These tips will work with most search engines in their basic search option.

Use the plus (+) and minus (-) signs in front of words to force their inclusion and/or exclusion in searches.
EXAMPLE: +trash -paper
(NO space between the sign and the keyword)
Use double quotation marks (" ") around phrases to ensure they are searched exactly as is, with the words side by side in the same order.
EXAMPLE: "worm composting"
(Do NOT put quotation marks around a single word.)
Put your most important keywords first in the string.
EXAMPLE: paper recycling ideas fun
Type keywords and phrases in lower case to find both lower and upper case versions. Typing capital letters will usually return only an exact match.
EXAMPLE: laporte retrieves both LaPorte and laporte
Use truncation (or stemming) and wildcards (e.g., *) to look for variations in spelling and word form.
EXAMPLE: librar* returns library, libraries, librarian, etc.
EXAMPLE: : colo*r returns color (American spelling) and colour (British spelling)
Combine phrases with keywords, using the double quotes and the plus (+) and/or minus (-) signs.
EXAMPLE: +fun +"craft ideas" -birdhouse -difficult
(In this case, if you use a keyword with a +sign, you must put the +sign in front of the phrase as well. When searching for a phrase alone, the +sign is not necessary.)
When searching within a document for the location of your keyword(s), use the "find" command on that page.