Support : Dialog Search Aids : Successful Searching : EXPAND

EXPAND (continued)

Punctuation and Spacing in EXPAND Commands

When you EXPAND a term containing punctuation or spaces, do not replace the punctuation marks with the (W) operator.

The EXPAND command interprets the search term you enter literally. If you enter EXPAND ALZHEIMER(W)S, Dialog will look for "ALZHEIMER(W)S," treating the "(W)" as characters within a single word. Enter the term exactly as you defined it, including punctuation. If a number appears in the Items column in the EXPAND display, then you know that the term is phrase-indexed in that database (it may also be word indexed). If a zero (0) appears in the Items column in the EXPAND display, try EXPANDing on the most significant element of the term (e.g., ALZHEIMER) to determine whether it is indexed. If you find it, you will know your original term has been word indexed, and should be selected using the (W) operator.

For the same reasons, do not use truncation or include suffix codes in an EXPAND command.

• Do not use a proximity operator in an EXPAND command:

?expand alzheimer(w)s

Ref   Items   RT  Index-term
E1        0    1  ALZHEIMER SCLEROSIS
E2        0    1  ALZHEIMER SYNDROME
E3        0      *ALZHEIMER(W)S
E4        0    1  ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
E5        1       ALZHEIMERA
E6        1       ALZHEIMERIAN
E7        1       ALZHEIMERISM
E8        1       ALZHEIMERIZATION
E9        1       ALZHEIMERKRANKEN
E10       1       ALZHEIMERKRANKHEIT
E11       1       ALZHEIMERPATIENTEN
E12      44       ALZHEIMERS
....


?expand alzheimer

Ref   Items   RT  Index-term
E1        1       ALZHEIMEIS
E2        1       ALZHEIMEKS
E3    55607      *ALZHEIMER
E4        1       ALZHEIMER A BETA PEPTIDE
E5        1       ALZHEIMER AMYLOID PROTEIN PRECURSOR
E6        1       ALZHEIMER ASSOCIATED NEURONAL THREAD PROT
E7        1       ALZHEIMER ASSOCIATION PROTEIN
E8        1       ALZHEIMER BETA PEPTIDE
E9        1       ALZHEIMER CELL TYPE 1
E10       1       ALZHEIMER CELL TYPE 2
E11       0    1  ALZHEIMER DEMENTIA
E12   49740   16  ALZHEIMER DISEASE
E13     192       ALZHEIMER DISEASE --COMPLICATION --CO
E14     273       ALZHEIMER DISEASE --CONGENITAL DISORDER -
....

(File 72: EMBASE^®)

(SELECTing Related Terms) 

top