Basic Search

Basic Search is an ideal way to get started with ProQuest. Just think of a word or phrase related to the information you're looking for and type it into the computer.

See hints on improving your searches for some tips on creating searches. See frequently asked questions on Basic searches for answers to some common questions.

How to:

1. Enter a word or phrase into the search field.
2. Click Search.

You can focus your search with the following options (some are only available after clicking on More Options):

• Limit your search to articles by a specific Author.
• Set a date range.
• Limit your search to a specific Document Type.
• Search a specific Journal title.
• Limit your search to a specific Record type

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Author (Browse)

Enter an author's name to limit your search to articles written by that author or reviewer. Or click Browse authors to select a name from a list of the available authors.

You can enter the author's name in any order. Searching the author field for John A. Smith produces the same results as searching for Smith, John A.

You can enter multiple author's names, separating them by AND to find articles by two authors.

For more information on using this field, see the Search Tips.

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Date Range

The default for this field is All dates, which searches all information in the current databases.

To limit your search, select the desired date range from the drop-down menu.

If you select a date range option (for example, On this date... or Before this date...), a field (or fields) will appear for you to enter the desired dates.

Enter the desired date(s).

For information on the date formats ProQuest supports, see the date formats reference.

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Document Type

By default, ProQuest searches all document types. To limit your search to a specific document type (for example, bibliography, book chapter, or journal article), select that document type from the drop-down menu.

For more information on using this field, see the Search Tips.

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Journal Title / Source

By default, ProQuest searches all titles in the currently selected database.

To limit your search to a specific journal, enter the journal's title. Or click Browse journals to select a title from a list of the available journals.

For more information on using this field, see the Search Tips.

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Record Type

ERIC classifies its records by type on the basis of the format of the original record (for example, book or journal article). By default, ProQuest searches all record types. To limit your search to a specific record type, select that record type from the drop-down menu.

For more information on using this field, see the Search Tips.

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