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Syllabus Exchange Database Search Tips
- General Search Tips
- Search Screen Tips
- Using Your Search Results
- On the search screens:
- You may use the "+" as a truncation/wild card symbol in the Syllabus Exchange database. NOTE: Truncation does not work within quoted phrases or the subject phrases.
- The "Clear" button may be used to erase the existing search values before submitting a new search request.
- While viewing your search results:
- To modify a search, click on your browser's "Back" button to return to the search screen.
- To return to the search screen from within a retrieval display, click on the magnifying glass icon
- To return to the Search Databases on the Web page from within a retrieval display, click on the house icon
The Basic Search enables patrons to display syllabi by topic and/or course type/level by selecting values from the drop-down menus for those fields.
Placing a check beside "Search Only Syllabi Online" will retrieve all syllabi available in full text, or will limit a search to online syllabi.
The Advanced Search screen is composed of many search boxes and a few search limiters.
The Syllabus Exchange Database may be searched by:
- Free text fields:
- Professor - This option looks for the user's search string in the field that contains information about the courses' instructors.
- Institution - This option looks for the user's search string in the field that contains information about the institution at which the course syllabus was developed.
- Course Title - This option looks for the user's search string in the field that contains the syllabus' title.
- Drop down menus:
- Course Type/Level - The user may specify the course type/level of instruction, e.g. high school, undergraduate, graduate, etc.
- Subject - The user may specify the subject matter, e.g. Abortion, Bioethics, Ethics, Genetics, Nursing Ethics, etc.
- Check box:
- Search Only Syllabi Online - Placing a check beside "Search Only Syllabi Online" will retrieve all syllabi available in full text, or will limit a search to online syllabi.
- All of these words - This option will retrieve records that contain all of the words the user has entered in the search box. This option uses the Boolean operator "AND."
- Any of these words - This option will retrieve records that contain any of the words the user has entered in the search box. This option uses the Boolean operator "OR."
- Exact phrase - This option will retrieve records that contain the exact phrase the user has entered in the search box. This option uses the Boolean operator "ADJ." (Note: placing quotes around a name (e.g. "LeRoy Walters") or a term (e.g. "Georgetown University") is the same as selecting the "Exact phrase" operator.)
The Boolean Search screen is composed of one search box and a few search limiters.
The Syllabus Exchange Database may be searched by:
- Free text fields:
- Enter your search query in the box provided.
- You may browse the Syllabus Exchange Database Fields List or the NRCBL Classification Scheme for assistance in developing your search strategy.
- Please refer to the example provided when formulating your search strategy.
- Drop down menus:
- Course Type/Level - The user may specify the course type/level of instruction, e.g. high school, undergraduate, graduate, etc.
- Subject - The user may specify the subject matter, e.g. Abortion, Bioethics, Ethics, Genetics, Nursing Ethics, etc.
- Check box:
- Search Only Syllabi Online - Placing a check beside "Search Only Syllabi Online" will retrieve all syllabi available in full text, or will limit a search to online syllabi.
Viewing Your Search Results
Your search results will contain the course title, instructor(s) who developed the syllabus,
institution where the syllabus was developed, when the course was last offered, in what language
the syllabus is published, the page length of the syllabus, the file size of the full text of the
syllabus, the level of instruction, and the subjects/topics covered by the course syllabus. If the
full text of the syllabus is available, the course title will appear as a hyperlink.
Printing Your Search Results
To print your search results, use your browser's Print function.
Saving Your Search Results
You can check the citations
you wish to save within each display page and save them to your local computer
by clicking on the "Save Checked" button. To save all citations within the display
page, click on the "Save All" button. NOTE: Citations must be saved before
going to the next page of results.
Once you have clicked either the "Save Checked" or "Save All" buttons, a file download dialog
will appear. Complete the following five steps:
- Click the "Save" button.
- From the "Save in" drop-down list, choose the folder in which you wish to save your search results, e.g. C:\My Documents.
- In the "File name" box, type a file name that means
something to you, e.g. "genetics syllabi.htm"
NOTE: You must add the ".htm" to the end of your file name. This will help your computer know which program it should use to open the file, e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla, Firefox, or another HTML viewing program. - In the "Save as type" box, select the "All Files" option.
- Finally, click the "Save" button.
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