InfoSkills for Economics and Management

Why use Advanced Search?

Using this search mode gives you greater control over your search by allowing you to:

• Search in specific fields (title, author, subject, ISBN, etc.)
• Combine multiple search terms with Boolean operators
• Apply filters to reduce irrelevant results
• Target specific formats, languages, or date ranges

WorldCat Discovery's Advanced Search 

Search tips

• Type your search terms into the Search Term box ❶.
  • By default, the system uses a Boolean AND search, which means it searches for all the terms you enter. For example, searching for youth violence is interpreted the same as youth AND violence. Therefore, you don’t need to include the AND operator within a single search line, although you may do so if you prefer.
  • Use truncation and wildcard symbols to expand your search to include word variants or to focus it by accounting for alternate spellings:

    Symbols	Usage	Example
    TRUNCATION *	The asterisk [*] replaces zero or more characters at the end of a search term to retrieve words with various endings.	connect* retrieves connect, connection, connectivity, etc. individual* retrieves individual, individuals, individualism, individuality
    WILDCARDS # and ?	The number sign [#] replaces a single character in or at the end of a search term.	photograph# retrieves photograph, photographs (but not photographer) wom#n retrieves woman, women
    	The question mark [?] replaces 0 to 9 unknown characters in a search term.	lab?r retrieves labor, labour encyclop?dia retrieves encyclopedia, encyclopaedia

    Note  At least three characters must appear before any truncation or wildcard symbol.

  • To search for an exact phrase, enclose your search terms in quotation marks: "youth violence".
  • For more controlled searching, use nesting (parentheses):
    prevent* ("youth violence" OR "juvenile delinquen*").

• Select the field(s) you want to search in the Search Index box ➋. For general searches, the Keyword field is usually the most effective. Other options in the drop-down menu include Title, Author, Abstract, Subject, Source Title (which often refers to a journal title), and more.
• To add additional search terms – such as a specific author – select the appropriate operator from the Operator box ➌.
• Click the cross to add more search boxes ➍.

Filters

Check any of the three boxes to filter your search: Full text, Peer-reviewed, or Open access ➎. Other filters include: 

• Format: Print book, eBook, Article, Audiobooks, and many more.
• Publication Year: Choose a range (e.g., 2015–2025 or 2025–2025).
• Language: English, Dutch, etc.
• Audience: Juvenile, Not juvenile
• Content type: Fiction, Non-Fiction

The section Additional tools ➏ contains TiU library-selected default settings. We recommend keeping the selected database (WorldCat.org) and Hide duplicates enabled, as shown in the screenshot.

Other useful options include:

• Sort by: Best Match, Author, Date, and more.
• Expand This Search: include related terms or book reviews
• Held By Library: view holdings for Libraries Worldwide, Libraries in the Netherlands, or Tilburg University Library