When words are entered into the "Search" box, a search will be performed on the titles, authors, sources, selected keywords, and summaries (if available) of all documents. The search function does not search the full text of documents.
If one word is entered, the search will return all documents whose titles, authors, sources, keywords, and summaries contain that word. If more than one word is entered, the search will return all documents containing ANY of those words.
To search for documents containing ALL search words, use a plus sign (+) before each word.
To search for documents containing exact PHRASES, put words in quotation marks ("words go here").
Some tips:
Searches are not case specific, so capitalization doesn't matter. ("Non-State Actor" and "non-state actor" return the same results.)
Results will be returned in reverse chronological order (most recent documents first).
For more advanced searches, use OPERATORS. (See table, below.)
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Operator
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Function
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Sample Entry
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Sample Results
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No operator
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If search terms are entered without any operator, search results will
include documents containing any (not all) of those words.
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United Nations
|
"United Nations needs 15,000 troops"
"United States opens hearing on alleged abuse"
(Anything containing "United" and/or "Nations")
|
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" "
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A phrase enclosed in quotation marks will return documents with
that exact phrase in the title, author or source words, keywords, or
summary.
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"Guantanamo detainees"
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"Guantanamo detainees in limbo"
NOT "The Case of the 'Detainees' in Camp X-ray at the U.S. Naval
Base in Guantanamo Bay (Cuba) Before the Inter-American Commission on Human
Rights"
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+
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A plus sign before a word indicates that the word must be present
in any search result returned. (Use a space between words if using more
than one.)
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+aceh +media
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"Media under attack in Aceh"
NOT "Rwandan 'Hate Media' verdict"
NOT "General defends Aceh action"
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-
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A minus sign before a word indicates that the word must not
be present in any search result returned. (Use a space between
words.)
Because full text is not searched, words excluded from search may still
appear in document.
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+aceh -media
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"Martial Law in Aceh"
"Indonesia to give amnesty to surrendered rebels"
NOT "Media under attack in Aceh"
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*
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An asterisk is the truncation operator-it indicates that search results
must contain words beginning with the search term. Unlike the other
operators, it should come after a word, not before it.
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rebel*
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All documents containing "rebel," "rebels," "rebellion," etc.
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( )
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Parentheses are used to group words into subexpressions.
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Yugoslavia -(Milosevic tribunal)
|
"Armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia"
NOT "Last PM of the former Yugoslavia testifies against Milosevic"
NOT "Separate Rwanda, Yugoslavia Prosecutors"
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Combining terms with and w/o operators
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If one word follows a plus or minus sign and other words do not, the words
without plus/minus signs will be optional, and will not affect the search
results returned.
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+Israeli settlements
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Exactly the same results as the search term Israeli or
+Israeli would return. For results containing both "Israeli" and
"settlements," enter +Israeli +settlements. For results
containing the phrase "Israeli settlements," enter "Israeli
settlements."
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