How do I remove duplicate search results?

When you select more than one database in your search query, Engineering Village might find the same record in more than one database.

The ‘Remove duplicates’ feature allows you to remove duplicate records so you can work with unique records and eliminate working with the same record multiple times.

Duplicate records will be removed from the first 1,000 records in the result set.

How

Follow these steps to remove duplicate search results:

1. Conduct a Quick or Expert search. The appropriate search results list opens.

2. If desired, perform any refinements to your search results (e.g., exclude document types such as preprints, restrict documents to Open Access records or specific controlled terms, etc.).

   Note: You must perform these refinements before you start the duplicate record removal process

3. At the top of your Quick or Expert search results list, click the down arrow located to the right of the ‘Remove duplicates’ label. The ‘Remove duplicates’ area opens.
4. From the first drop-down, select the type of duplicated records you prefer to see removed from the search results. Select from the following:

   • No field preference - default
   • Has Full Text - removes duplicates that do not have a full text and leaves those that do
   • Has Abstract - removes duplicates that do not have an abstract and leaves those that do
   • Has Index Terms - removes duplicates that do not have index terms and leaves those that do

5. From the second drop-down, select the database from which you prefer to see results.

   Example: If you choose Compendex, Engineering Village removes the duplicates from all of the other databases and leaves the unique records from Compendex. Refer to What are Engineering Village's Content Sources? for database details and How do I set my preferences? to set your database search preferences.

   Notes:

   • Only databases that contain the search term(s) you used will be available for selection.
   • The field preference takes precedence over the database preference. For example, if you select ‘Full text’ from the field preference, and ‘Compendex’ from the Database preference, and there are no full-text records in Compendex, the system retrieves full-text records from Inspec, although Compendex was your preferred database.

6. Click ‘Continue.’ The ‘Deduplication summary’ displays and features a set of updated results in which duplicate records have been removed.

   Note: The updated search results total reflects the number of results after duplicates were removed.

7. Review the ‘Deduplication summary’ at the top of the page:

   • Original search - shows the total number of records found for your query.

     • Click this search query link to recall your original search results.
   • Duplicates removed - shows the total number of duplicates removed and the breakdown of removed records by database.

     • Click the ‘Total’ link to see total number of all duplicates that were removed.
     • Click any of the other database links to see duplicate records removed for each specific database.
   • ‘Deduplicated set’ - shows the total number of results remaining after duplicates were removed and the breakdown of removed records by database.

     • Click any of the database links to see the records that remain in the search results for each specific database.
     • Click the ‘Total’ link to see all records that remain in the ‘Deduplicated set’ search results.

8. From the ‘Duplicates removed’ result set, click the ‘duplicate’ icon (on the Results list) to view the corresponding record that was hidden as a result of deduplication. The ‘View Duplicated Records’ pop-up page opens and displays the record in a detailed format.

   Example: If Compendex was your preferred database, duplicate records from Inspec were removed and became components of the ‘Duplicates removed’ result set. Thus, clicking the ‘duplicate’ icon displays the record in Compendex. Clicking the ‘Detailed’ link in the ‘Duplicates removed’ result set displays the Inspec version of the record. This feature keeps you informed about the specific records that were removed and gives you the possibility to look at the record, although you chose to remove it.