Search it! allows you to search several electronic resources simultaneously via a single, easy-to-use interface. This helpsheet will focus on some of the advanced features provided through the My Research link within Search it! These features allow you to save records and search strategies for future use, set up email alerts to receive automatic notification of new materials and create your own lists of favourite databases and electronic journals. You can even create your own Quickset to simultaneously search a number of resources that you have identified as most relevant to your research topic.
This helpsheet assumes that you already have some familiarity with Search it! If you need advice on basic search techniques, please refer to the introductory Search it! helpsheet.
If your list of search results includes records that you would like to consult in the future, you can save them to My Research by clicking the plus-sign icon within the individual record. These records are saved to the My Results area of My Research.
To view your saved records, click My Research in the Search it! menu and then click My Results. To remove a saved record from My Results, click the X icon within the record.
For easier retrieval, you may prefer to store related records in a folder with a meaningful name such as that of your research topic or project. To create a folder:
If your search produces good results, it might be useful to save the search strategy for future use. Please note that this option is available only if you use Customised Search to create the strategy. After you’ve run the search, follow these steps:
Email alerts provide an efficient means of keeping up-to-date of new publications in your area of interest.
Once you’ve saved a search strategy, it’s an easy job to set up an email alert to receive automatic notification as new records matching your keywords are added to Search it!
Search it! allows you to create a personal list of favourite electronic journals so that you can quickly locate and link to them. Click the Find e-journals link on Search it! to see a list of all electronic journals available to MMU staff and students.
To locate a specific journal, type its title in the search box and click GO or, alternatively, click the letter with which the first word of the journal title begins and then browse to find the title of interest to you.
It’s also possible to locate journals by subject category: click the Category tab and then select the Category and Subcategory of most relevance to your research area.
Click the plus-sign icon in the record of each journal title that you want to include in your list.
To view the journal titles that you’ve saved to your e-journals list, click My Research and then My e-Journals. If you click either the journal title or pink and blue square icon, you will be redirected to a Find It! dialogue box providing information about the date coverage available to MMU plus login instructions. Click GO to be redirected to the journal’s own website.
You may also find it useful to maintain a personal list of the electronic resources of most relevance to you. Click Find Database, then type the resource’s title in the search box and click GO. Alternatively, click the letter with which the first word of the resource’s title begins and browse to locate it.
You may also search for resources by subject category: click the Category tab and then select the Category and Subcategory of most relevance to you. Click the plus-sign icon to the right of each resource title that you want to include in your personal databases list.
To view the list of saved resources, click My Research and then My Databases. To display more information about the resource, including search tips and login instructions, click the i icon. To search a resource within Search it!, click the magnifying glass icon. To connect to the resource’s own website (ie, its “native interface”) click on the resource’s title. You will be redirected from Search it! to the native interface where you may need to authenticate again.
Although Search it! provides several subject-based Quicksets for your use, you may find that none is suitable for your area of research. If this is the case, you may want to create your own Quickset in order to cross-search up to 10 of those electronic resources most relevant to your research.
First follow the instructions in section 6 of this helpsheet to create a list of your favourite resources. Be sure to select only those resources that can be searched within Search it! Watch for the magnifying glass icon as an indication that this is the case. Your selections appear in the Clipboard. Now follow these instructions:
To use the Quickset, click Quicksearch near the top of the Search it! page. This will take you back to the main Search it! page where you will see your Quickset listed under My Sets. To search it, select either Simple or Advanced search and input your search terms in the search boxes.
To manage the content of your Quickset, use the following options:
This helpsheet has provided a quick introduction to some of the advanced features provided by Search it!
For information about additional features and for further guidance, click Help near the top of any Search it! page.
MH Oct 2010