Search Assist(ance)

Overview

How to use Search Assist

Overview

Search Assist, located beneath the search bar, helps you create queries without needing to know the search fields or syntax required to find the desired results.

To create a query using Search Assist, open the project you want to search, then click Search Assist beneath the search bar.

Note: Upload Data, one of the buttons found below the search bar, has been renamed to Upload Fields to better reflect its functionality in uploading coding fields or additional data. Source records must exist when using this button

How to use Search Assist

Step 1.

Select the field or fields you want to search. Choose a field from the dropdown menu or begin typing the field name, such as Title or Abstract. The available fields depend on the data uploaded to your project, and the values shown for those fields depend on which fields have been made filterable.

Step 2.

Add your search terms or phrases one at a time. After entering a term, select Include or press Enter on your keyboard to add it to the Include column. To exclude a term from your search, select Exclude instead.

You can also move a term between Include and Exclude. Click the green “chip” for the term and select Swap.

If you add multiple terms, you will need to choose how you want them to interact. By default, Any Values is selected, which uses OR logic. For example, if you enter “testing” and “BRCA2,” the search will look for “testing OR BRCA2” and return records containing either term.

To require both terms, select All Values, which uses AND logic. For example, “testing AND BRCA2” will return records containing both terms anywhere within the field or fields you selected.

Alternatively, you can enter a phrase such as “BRCA2 testing” to search for those words together in that exact order. Keep in mind that relevant records may use the same terms in a different order or context. Choose the search option that best matches the results you want to retrieve.

The third option is At least 2 values. Use this option when you enter a list of search terms or phrases and want to find records containing at least two of them within the selected field or fields. Any combination of two or more terms from your list can satisfy the search, making this option broader than searching for a specific phrase or set of phrases.

Select Save and Continue after completing each component of your query if you want to add another component. Your Search Assist selections will appear as a “chip” in the search box, where you can modify them as needed.

Some fields, such as Condition, provide a list of available values. Select the values you want to include in your search from the list.

When you have finished building your query, select Save and Search to run the search.

Note: If you have created multiple “chips” using Search Assist, choose whether the chips should be combined using AND or OR. Use the Boolean operator buttons on the left side of the search bar to make your selection:

• AND: Find records that meet both search criteria. For example, find records that contain at least two of the specified terms in the abstract, excluding those with “surgery” in the abstract, and have “breast cancer” as the Condition. AND is selected by default.
• OR: Find records that meet either search criterion. For example, find records that contain at least two of the specified terms in the abstract, excluding those with “surgery” in the abstract, or have “breast cancer” as the Condition.