Index searching in WSU WorldCat
This document provides current information on advanced search techniques in WSU WorldCat, including information on indexes and search syntax.
Search terms
You can prefix your search with a search term qualifier to search a specific field. You can also optionally add quotation marks to search for a specific phrase/term.
Document types
You can limit searches to specific document types using the format facet in WSU WorldCat search results or one of the document type limiters listed below. Note that the limiter must follow the search term(s) in order to retrieve results.
Some example searches using document type limiters:
"obedience experiments" dt:art
"world war II" dt:vis
"harry potter" dt:rec
apache web server dt:com
“bonneville dam” "washington state university" dt:url
Format, content, and audience type
You can limit searches to specific formats, content, and audience level using the facets displayed in search results or by using one of the format limiters listed below. Note that the limiter must follow the search term(s) in order to retrieve results.
- Format
- Content
- Audience level
Some examples using format limiters:
baseball fm:lpt
orson welles fm:dvv
"gods and generals" fm:msr
breast cancer fm:nsr
"harry potter" -fm:fic
Language
You can limit searches by language using the facet displayed in WSU WorldCat search results or by using one of the language limiters shown below. The limiter is based upon the MARC code list for languages. Note that the limiter must follow the search term(s) in order to retrieve results.
Some example searches using the language limiter:
"alfonso xiii" ln:spa
swine flu ln:rus
Year
You can search year ranges using the year limiter shown below. You can also search by individual year using the facets displayed in search results or by using the year limiter. Again, note that the limiter must follow the search term(s) in order to retrieve results.
Some example searches:
stanley milgram yr:1965..1975
"health care reform" yr:1994
Topical searches
In addition to the topic facet shown in WSU WorldCat search results, you can limit by topic or discipline using the codes listed below. Note that the limiter must follow the search term(s) in order to retrieve results.
Some example searches using topical limiters:
h1n1 s0:38*
“albert einstein” s0:54*
Boolean operators
These operators can be used in WSU WorldCat searching:
