How to Search Issues & Controversies

Full-text Search

1. Enter any word or combination of words in the Search Box on the left of the home page. If you enter more than one search term, the search will find articles that contain all of the terms you entered. Capitalization does not matter.
2. Click GO!

Note: Search Boxes may also be found on listings pages and on the upper right side of screens showing articles. You can search from any page with a Search Box.

Results List

The Results List shows the number of articles in the selected Sources that contain all the terms entered, and up to the first 25 of those articles. Click on any article title on the list to go to the article. If more than 25 articles contain the search terms, the bottom of the Results List will link to further pages of results.

Articles retrieved from the Results List will display the search terms highlighted in red.

See Search Options for more information.

Boolean Operators

Boolean operators -- AND, OR, NOT -- can be added to search terms to refine results. If no operator is added, the AND operator is used automatically.

1. Enter a search term. Examples:
   1. safety and school
   2. safety or school
   3. safety not school
2. Click GO!
3. Results include:
   1. all articles with all of the search terms, safety as well as school
   2. all articles with either of the search terms, safety or school or both
   3. only articles without the excluded search term, articles with safety that do not include school

Wildcard Search

Entering the wildcard character * as the last character in a search term will expand the results to include any term that starts with all the characters before it. The * stands in for the rest of the word.

1. Enter a search term. Example: hand*
2. Click GO!
3. Results include: handle, handout, hands, etc.

Phrase Search

Search Options

Sorting Results

You can choose to sort your Results List by Story Date or by Relevance. Story Date order starts with the most recent article that matches your search and ends with the earliest. The default setting is Relevance. For any search from the article screen, the first results will be articles in which your search term appears most frequently.

To change the order of the Results List from the home page:

1. Enter a search term.
2. Under SORT OPTIONS FOR RESULTS LIST, click the radio button for Story Date.
3. Click GO!
4. The Results List will start with the most recent article that matches your search term.

Searching from an article screen will retrieve results from the full text of the database. (If the article is not in an authorized database, the article screen will not display a Search Box.)

Title Search

Use Title Search to find only articles with the search term in the title. This can be a good way to make sure the articles' subject relates to your query, if your search term is broad and many articles contain it in their full text.

1. Enter a search term.
2. Click the checkbox Search Title Only, just under the Search Box.
3. Click GO!
4. Results will be limited to articles whose titles include the search term.

Note: This can be a good way to make sure the articles' subject relates to your query, especially if your search term is general or many articles contain it in their full text.

Search by Source

Use Search by Source to search articles from Issues & Controversies @ FACTS.com (and/or any other FACTS.com databases that your school or library subscribes to).

1. Enter a search term.
2. Choose from the checkboxes and databases listed under Available Databases. If your school or library only subscribes to Issues & Controversies @ FACTS.com, that is the only checkbox you will see and it will be checked by default.
3. Click GO!
4. Results will be limited to the database(s) you have chosen.

Note: Clicking a second time in any checkbox will disable searching that source; clicking a third time will re-enable it.

Date-Range Search

Use Date-Range Search to find articles from a particular period of time, using the search screen from the home page.

1. Enter a search term.
2. Choose a year and, if desired, specific month and date in the From: pull-down menus. Examples:
   1. Choosing only 2000 will find articles from January 1, 2000, on.
   2. Choosing only May and 2000 will find articles from May 1, 2000, on.
   3. Choosing May 15, 2000 will find articles from May 15 2000, on.
3. Choose a year and, if desired, specific month and date in the To: pull-down menus. Examples:
   1. Choosing only 2004 will retrieve articles through December 31, 2004.
   2. Choosing only April and 2004 will retrieve articles through April 30, 2004.
   3. Choosing April 15, 2004 will retrieve articles through April 15, 2004.
4. Click GO!
5. If dates are entered for both the "From" and the "To", results will be limited to articles containing the term and dated between the date selections.

Repeating a Search

Issues & Controversies @ FACTS.com makes it easy to repeat a search you have already done. You can repeat any of your ten most recent previous searches -- exactly as they were first carried out, or with variations. From the home page:

1. Click on Search History, the third button under the Optional Date Range pull-down menus.
2. Your previous searches, up to ten, will be displayed, starting with the most recent.
3. Select a search to repeat.
4. If desired, vary the search by adding to or changing the search term, selecting or deselecting the Title Search, entering or changing the Date From or Date To information, and/or using the checkboxes on the right to change the databases searched.
5. Click GO!
6. The Results List will be for the search you have entered.

Note: Closing out of the FACTS.com application erases the Search History.