Good morning,
USING OR IN PHRASES
Its well known that you can use the Boolean terms ‘or’ & ‘not’ in google
( OR must be in capitals and ‘not’ is a minus sign directly in front of
the excluded word)
However did you realise that you can use OR in phrases?
Eg to find references to the following two-word terms:
Occupational therapy, occupational therapies, occupational therapist,
occupational therapists
You enter the phrase ( using inverted commas )
“occupational therapy OR therapies OR therapist OR therapists”
Or click
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=+%E2%80%9Coccupational+therapy+OR+therapies+OR+therapist+OR+therapists%E2%80%9D&btnG=Google+Search&meta=
This avoids pages that mention ‘occupational’ in one part and ‘therapy’ in
another unrelated section
Similarly:
“Down OR downs OR down’s syndrome”
Or Click
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100&hl=en&q=%E2%80%9CDown+OR+downs+OR+down%E2%80%99s+syndrome%E2%80%9D&btnG=Search&meta=
(I know google will search for plurals automatically but this does seem to
give slightly different results.)
( If you just search for “Down’s Syndrome” then you get very few of the
other variations)
You can use it to get the information for comparisons from the google
results page
“the highest mountain in france OR Switzerland is”
Or click
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100&hl=en&q=%E2%80%9Cthe+highest+mountain+in+france+OR+Switzerland+is%E2%80%9D&btnG=Search&meta=
USING * for NEAR
Google doesn’t do the Boolean term ‘NEAR’ but you can get an approximation
using the wild card ‘*’ to substitute for words in phrases
Try "occupational * therapy"
Or click
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100&hl=en&q=%22occupational+*+therapy%22&btnG=Search&meta=
Or as practice for budding pub-quiz compilers try:
“the longest * in England is”
Or click
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100&hl=en&q=%E2%80%9Cthe+longest+*+in+England+is%E2%80%9D&btnG=Search&meta=
SEARCHING NLH
I know that the NLH search engine is being revamped, but in the meantime
you can always use google’s site searching facility to facilitate your
searches of individual sections
Hitting the Headlines:
If this actually has an archive search I have not seen it.
Otherwise search google initially with this:
site:library.nhs.uk/rss/newsAndRssArchive.aspx?storyCategory=0
Or click
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=50&hl=en&safe=off&q=++++site%3Alibrary.nhs.uk%2Frss%2FnewsAndRssArchive.aspx%3FstoryCategory%3D0&btnG=Search&meta=
Leave 4 spaces at the front
Ignore the results just save it as a favourite.
To search the archive:
Bring up the favourite and search with your term at the front of the
search string ( leaving a gap)
Click on ‘Cached’ under the result that you want, to see your the term
highlighted.
Clinical Answers
At the moment the search box seems only to find phrases or am I missing
something?
Searches like: diabetes exercise or: diabetes and exercise yield
nothing
Set up a favourite as before with this search in google:
site:clinicalanswers.nhs.uk
Or click
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100&hl=en&q=+++++site%3Aclinicalanswers.nhs.uk&btnG=Search&meta=
then try adding: diabetes exercise in the gap at the front of the string.
It’s not perfect, as it could find both your terms on one page of many
questions – but with each term in a separate question.
Its worth experimenting with the other sections of the NLH to see if
google gives you different or better results.
It doesn’t always, so its really a complementary approach rather than a
replacement for the existing one.
Hope this may give food for thought or something to play with on Friday
afternoon.
Best wishes
David Newman
Library Information Skills Trainer,
Exeter Health Library
Peninsula Medical School Building
Barrack Road
Exeter
EX2 5DW
Tel: 01392 406727
Fax 01392 406728
Library Website www.ex.ac.uk/eml available anywhere, or link to us from
Comex
Hospital email: [log in to unmask]
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