Getting Results
Using the Search Box to Enter Search Terms
To start getting results, select the tab that narrows to the type of information resource for which you are looking, or just type a search term in the One Search tab if you aren't looking for a specific type of information resource. Then click the search button to the right of the text box or press Enter.
The Results Page
After entering search, terms you will be taken to a results page, where you can see the results of your search. Each line represents a different resource you have access to and icons to the left indicate the type of resource you discovered in your search.
Results Page Parts Explained
There are several key parts of the results page. Each of these parts is highlighted on the graphic below and a description of each part follows:
The Search Box
At the very top, you will see a search box with the search terms you had just entered. You can use this search box to conduct additional searches or you can add additional terms with AND to narrow your search results further.
Limiters
To the left you will notice a number of helpful limiters. These can limit or narrow your results in a number of ways. For instance, you can limit your results to online, physical, and/or Peer Reviewed items. You can also limit your results by content type (i.e. books, journal articles, magazines, art, etc.), subject discipline, publication dates, subject terms, languages, and library location (library location also limits to physical items). In the case of books, you can also limit to Genre, Region, and Time Period. It is also important to note, that when you use the tabs, radio buttons, and options on the library search box, many of these limiters will automatically be checked for you. For instance, if you went to the Find Articles tab and selected the Newspaper option, you will notice that the Newspaper content type is checked on the limiter section of your results page. From here, you can easily uncheck it or check other items to change the items that appear on your results page.
List of Results
The list of results section, simply lists all the results you had gotten from your search, depending upon what limiters you have checked. Each title represents a different result that you can use and access as a GCC student. In the case of online items, you can simply click on the title of the result and you will be taken to the item. In the case of physical items, you will see information below the title concerning the availability of the item at each of the MCCCD Libraries. In the case of physical items, you can also click on the title to reveal the item record, which has further information about the title. More information about accessing online and physical content items are on the next pages of the tutorial
Information Sidebar
When you hover your mouse over any of the items on your results page, you will often see a helpful window pop up to the right. This window, the information sidebar, provides additional information about your item. As well, you will see options that will allow you to Cite the resource you are hovering over or email yourself a link to the item or record. Please note, when using the cite option, be sure to double-check the punctuation in the citation for accuracy and italicize words where needed.