Help Contents

Help: Search History

• What is Search History?
• Re-running a search
• Adding a search to My Archive
• Modifying a search
• Clearing searches
• Combining searches

What is Search History?

The Search History page records all the searches you have run during the current session. It allows you to run searches again, modify them, combine them with other searches or delete them from your list.

Note that the searches listed on the Search History page are only retained for a single session, any information recorded there will be lost once you exit International Index to Music Periodicals. If you want to keep a search beyond the current session, you must save it to My Archive.

To access Search History, follow the Search History link on the main pages of International Index to Music Periodicals.

Search History is divided into a page for each category of search, by default Search History will be opened on the page for the category of search most recently performed (or if no searches have been performed, the Quick Search). All the different categories of search are listed at the top of the page e.g. Quick Search, Articles, Journals and Reference, along with the number of searches performed. To go to the search history page for a particular search category, click on the link for that category.

The search history category you are viewing is highlighted in bold at the top of the page and a list of the searches performed is displayed.

Note: only the terms of your search are recorded, not the results of the search itself.

Each entry in the list consists of:

• A number to indicate the position of a search in the list
• The search terms used to make up your search
• An Add to My Archive link
• A Modify Search link
  (except for Quick Searches and combined searches)
• The number of results retrieved by the search.

Note: if your search retrieved no results, it will be listed in Search History as a record of the search but the search terms will not be linked to enable you to re-run the search. It is not possible to save searches with no results to My Archive.

Re-running a search

The search terms shown in the Search History list form a link to enable you to run your search again. Click the search terms link for the search you wish to run. The results of the search will be displayed on the appropriate Search Results page.

Adding a search to My Archive

To save a search for use beyond the length of the current session you must save it to My Archive:

• Click the Add to My Archive link next to the search in the list
• If you are already logged into My Archive, you will be asked to name your search on the Name a Saved Search page and once this is completed your search will be added to the Saved Searches page of My Archive.
• If you are not logged into My Archive, you will need to enter your username and password before you can proceed.

Tip: the default name for a saved search is 'My Search', if you are saving multiple searches it is a good idea to give them names which are easily recognizable.

The My Archive: Saved Searches page is displayed showing your search at the top of the list for the relevant category of search.

Modifying a search

You may wish to change elements of a search to widen or narrow the scope. Instead of entering your search terms all over again, you can use the Modify Search link next to your chosen search.

• Click the Modify Search link corresponding to the search you wish to alter.
• The search page is displayed with all the search terms you originally specified shown in the relevant search fields.
• Edit the terms you wish to change and click the Search button to run the search with your revised terms.

The next time you view Search History, the modified search will be listed in addition to your original search.

Clearing searches

Click the Clear these searches link shown below the searches list to remove all searches from the current list.

Combining searches

You may wish to combine previous searches from the Search History list to achieve different results. The facility to combine searches is available for all searches except the Quick Search.

• Type the numbers of the two searches into the Combine Searches boxes.
• Select the required Boolean operator from the drop-down list.
  E.g. 1 AND 2 finds records which meet the criteria for both searches, 1 OR 2 finds records that meet the criteria of either search, 1 NOT 2 finds records that meet the criteria for search 1 and removes any records which meet the criteria for search 2.
• Click the Combine Searches button to run the new search.

When the search is complete the relevant Search Results page will open. The results will be displayed in the default sort order for the search.

Note: you cannot combine different categories of search. Combined searches cannot be added to My Archive.

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