Proximity Searching
Most full text databases allow for proximity searching, e.g. finding one search term so many words away from another search term. For example, in Academic Universe, if you use the search strategy, "cloning and ethical," the database will find all articles containing both those words. However, the fact that "cloning" and "ethical" are in the same article does not mean that the article is about the ethics of cloning. Many of the articles such a search would turn up would have little or nothing to do with the ethics of cloning. Proximity searches are a way of stacking the deck in favor finding articles that are more rather than less "on topic." The proximity strategy, cloning w/15 ethical, will find the term, "ethical," fifteen words or less on either side of the word "cloning." This being the case, it is likely that the words "ethical" and "cloning" are either in the same sentence or paragraph, which, in turn, means that the article is more likely to be about the ethics of cloning than not. In short, proximity searching allows for more control and better, more targeted results.
Hyperlinked below are examples of proximity searches for most of our full text databases. Databases indented in purple search like the database hyperlinked above.
Business Source Elite Encyclopedia of Animals Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia HealthInfo Military Library Full Text Primary Search Lexis Academic Courts Database
ABI ECO HealthInfo Periodical Abstracts Wilson Select Illinois Newsstand