Policy & Research Close Window

Tips for Using AgeLine's Basic Search Screen


If you are new to searching, have a simple, one-concept search, or are unsure of whether AgeLine contains information you are seeking, it is best to start with the Basic Search screen. The Basic Search screen allows you to search one topic, represented by a word or phrase, or several topics, each separated by a semicolon that operates as a Boolean OR to broaden your search. We recommend using the Advanced Search screens for more complex search queries and for refining your search once you have viewed the structure and content of the AgeLine database using the Basic search.

See Search Help topic Using Boolean Operators to Search for more information.

This screen also offers options for limiting your results by publication year(s), document type, audience type(s), and the maximum number of items you want to display.


Formulating the Search Query for the Basic Search Box

Key in a word or phrase on a topic of interest, organization, program name, or author(s), and the search engine will search through all of AgeLine's 56,000+ records to retrieve those that contain your word or phrase, in chronological order starting with the most recent publication year. The database is not case sensitive, so your query can be typed in upper- or lowercase letters.

Avoid using "older," "aging," "senior," or "elderly" in your Basic Search query unless the word is an integral part of a title or topic, because the entire database concerns older adults and aging-related issues. Simply focusing on the topic(s) without using "aging" terms should provide you with satisfactory results most of the time.

AgeLine contains summaries, not the full-text, of books and articles, so the search engine searches for matches or near matches in the title, author's name(s), journal title, abstract (summary), and subjects (keywords) and then highlights the search words or phrases in the retrieved items displayed on the results screen.

Examples of good basic searches

alternative medicine; holistic care
assisted living directory; nursing homes directory
baby boom generation; baby boomers
caregiving burden
consumer fraud
costa rica
creativity
discounts; bargains
employment discrimination
estate planning
florida
holocaust survivors
hormone replacement therapy
intergenerational conflict
older computer users
social security guide; social security guides
second careers
stroke; strokes


NOTE: If you are not interested in research, professional, or policy literature on these topics, you may want to limit the audience type to General/Consumer.


If You Do Not Retrieve Any Items From Your Search

In this case, try using fewer words or several synonyms or synonym phrases separated by a semicolon (which functions as Boolean OR) to broaden your search. Check for spelling mistakes as well.

See the Search Help topic Why Am I Getting Zero Results? for more information.


If You Retrieve Too Many Items From Your Search

The Basic Search screen allows you to limit your results several ways at the bottom of the screen: by year(s), by document type, by audience type(s), and by the number of items to display. Note that the system defaults to retrieving a maximum of 200 of the most recent items per search. You can set your screen to retrieve more items per search (400 maximum, 600 maximum, or No Limit), but the search engine will take longer to retrieve your results.

See the Search Help topic Limiting by Document Type for more information.

All of the search screens deliver results in chronological order, with the most recently published items appearing first.


Understanding Truncation in the Basic Search Box

The search engine in the Basic Search automatically truncates (ends) your words after 7 letters and automatically connects the words within a topic with a Boolean NEAR command (which looks for a separation of no more than 5 words between each word, in either direction). The semicolon between words or phrases acts as a Boolean OR.

Example

If you input the following,

social security reform; social security earnings limitation

the AgeLine search engine translates it to

(social NEAR securit* NEAR reform) OR (social NEAR securit* NEAR earning* NEAR limitat*)

This will retrieve items in AgeLine containing, for example, any of the following phrases:

limitations on Social Security earnings
reform of Social Security
Social Security earnings limitation
Social Security earnings limitations
Social Security reform


Locating Guides by Using the Basic Search

To locate guides on a particular topic while in the Basic Search screen, enter your query as shown below to capture both singular and plural forms. If you key in only "guide," you will not retrieve items with the plural form "guides," because "guide" has fewer than 7 letters.

Examples

retirement planning guide; retirement planning guides
caregiving guide; caregiving guides


See the following Search Help topics:

Using Boolean Operators to Search
Viewing, Printing, Marking, and Downloading Items
Why Am I Getting Zero Results?


Help Topics [an error occurred while processing this directive]