How can I improve my expert search?
Last updated on March 25, 2026
The Expert search provides search power and flexibility by incorporating advanced Boolean logic and including more search options than Quick Search. A single search box is provided in the Expert search. The Expert search allows you to do the following:
- Use Boolean operators, NEAR/ONEAR proximity operators, and browse indexes
- Provides for a search in more than 30 languages for some databases by using the ‘Language Browse’ index
- Search specific fields, including Accession number, DOI, ISSN, ISBN, and many more
- Search for patent and conference details
- Use a convenient table of Search field codes displayed on the page
How
Follow these steps to perform an Expert search:
- Click ‘Search’ at the top of any Engineering Village page.
- Scroll down and click ‘Expert search.’ The Expert search form opens.
- Enter your search terms in the ‘Expert search:’ box.
Click ‘Search codes’ under the Search box to refer to specific information regarding the search fields and codes.
Note: The Expert search fields and codes list is database context sensitive. It displays only the fields that are available in your selected databases. Thus, you may want to select the database(s) that you want in your search query before checking the fields and codes list to ensure that the fields that you want to use in your search are available for the databases you have selected.
Enter your search terms along with the ‘within’ command (WN) and a field code to run your Expert search query as shown in the examples below.
Examples:
(("over load" OR "over-load" OR "overload") WN AB)
(seatbelt* OR (seat belt*)) WN TI
(("pressure recovery" and "gas turbine") WN KY)
Refer to Use wildcards and truncation as well as NEAR/ONEAR Proximity Operators for tips to make your search as specific as possible.
Select one or more databases you would like to search.
Note: Refer to Content sources introduction to review descriptions of each database, and Search fields available by database for complete details of the individual search fields.
- Select the ‘All’ checkbox if you want to search all databases.
- To limit or specify a sort order of your search results, select the appropriate tab and drop-down for your search query.
- Autostemming is disabled by default for Expert searches. If desired, you may enable the autostemming feature by clicking the ‘Autostemming’ tab and clearing the ‘Turn autostemming off’ checkbox.
- If desired, select a ‘Browse index’ from the ‘Browse indexes’ tab to select additional search terms.
- If you have changed your search strategy, and would like to restart your search query, you may click ‘Reset form,’ and a new search box opens.
- After you have completed all your selections for your search query, click the magnifying glass icon to run your search. The ‘Loading’ message will display and the Results list will appear below the Expert search form.
Additionally, you may save this search, share this search, or create an alert from this search query.
The chart below describes various Expert search features.
|
|
|---|---|
Search within a specific field using WN | smith WN AU AND("autonomous navigation" OR radar*)
{diamonds and sapphires} WN TI OR ("aluminum compounds OR gems OR minerals") WN AB |
Use truncation (*) to search for words that begin or end with the same letters | comput* returns computer, computerization, computerized, computers, computation, computational, computations, computing
*sorption returns adsorption, absorption, chemisorption, desorption, resorption, sorption |
Use a wildcard (?) to replace a single character | wom?n returns woman or women |
Use a multi-character wildcard (*) to replace any number of characters internally. | sul*ate returns sulfate, sulfonate, sulphate, sulphonate |
Use ‘Autostemming’ to find variations of search terms | Autostemming stems all search terms unless they are enclosed in double quotation marks or braces or if they are contained in the author (AU) field. Note: The default setting for Autostemming is disabled for Expert searches, so you must clear the ‘Turn autostemming off’ checkbox within the ‘Autostemming tab’ to enable the Autostemming feature in Expert searches. management returns manage, managed, manager, managers, managing, management |
To search for an exact phrase or for phrases containing stop words (AND, OR, NOT, NEAR), use braces or double quotation marks. | "near field scanning" "not to exceed" "Northeast University" {Journal of Microwave Power AND Electromagnetic Energy} {rocks OR minerals} {chemical physics} "BS ISO/IEC 21471:2020" {PD ISO/TR 18845:2017} |
Use the NEAR operator to search for terms in proximity | Use NEAR to search for terms in proximity. The NEAR command is used for searching terms that are near or adjacent to each other in any order. The proximity number signifies the maximum number of words that are indexed between the two words in the search query. If no number of words is specified in the proximity query, four (4) is assumed. solar NEAR/2 energy chemical NEAR physics The NEAR proximity operator can be used with autostemming. Wildcards and truncation are supported when used in conjunction with the NEAR proximity operator. |
Use the ONEAR operator to run an ordered search for terms in proximity | Use ONEAR to search for terms in proximity. The ONEAR command is used for searching terms that are near or adjacent to each other in the order described in the search query.
In Example 1 below, documents will be returned when the term ‘time’ precedes the term ‘travel’ and these terms are located within one word of each other. time ONEAR/1 travel
In Example 2 below, documents will be returned when the term ‘career’ precedes the term ‘development’ and these terms are located within four words of each other. career ONEAR development
The ONEAR proximity operator can be used with autostemming.
Wildcards and truncation are supported when used in conjunction with the ONEAR proximity operator. |
Use the Author Browse index to see name variations | Browse the author browse index to select all variations of an author's name Smith A Smith A J Smith Alan J |
Case sensitivity | The Engineering Village interface is not case sensitive as text can be entered in upper or lower case. |
In Expert search you can specify which field(s) you want to include in your search queries.
Refer to ‘What are the Expert search field codes?’ for a chart listing all the Engineering Village field names, field codes, and field descriptions.
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