Scoping Searches for Bibs and Items

Scoping is a method of further focusing your search beyond the basic search expression. Scoping, like power searching, allows you to conduct complex, precise searches with the Common Command Language (CCL). However, power searching requires you to know CCL and write your own queries. With scoping, you select the access points (qualifiers), operators, and search strings (values), and Polaris formats the information into CCL. You can use scoping with exact match, keyword, and phrase searches for bibliographic and item records.

To do a complex, precise search by scoping:

1. On the Find Tool - General tabbed page, fill in the Object, Search by, Type, and For boxes (see Doing a Basic Search).

2. Click the Scoping tab to display the Scoping tabbed page. The search expression you created on the General tabbed page appears in the Current Criteria box.

3. Choose one of the following Boolean operators (see Boolean Operators):
   • If the search results must match both search expressions, click And.
   • If the search results can match either search expression, click Or.
   • If the search results must match the first search expression, but not the second one, click Not.

4. Select an access point or modifier in the Qualifier box.
5. Choose one of the following relative operators:

Tip:
You can choose [=] or [<>] for all the qualifiers.
You can choose the following relative operators for the Publication date only: [<], [<=], [>], or [>=].

• Click [=] for results equal to the value.
• Click [<>] for results not equal to (excluding) the value.
• Click [<] for publication dates less than the value.
• Click [<=] for publication dates less than or equal to the value.
• Click [>] for publication dates greater than the value.
• Click [>=] for publication dates greater than or equal to the value.

6. Select or type a value for the query in the Value box. For additional information, see:

• Proximity Operators
• Wildcard Characters
• Quotation Marks in Power Searching

7. Click Add to add the search expression to the Current Criteria box. If the search expression is longer than the width of the Current Criteria box, a horizontal scroll bar is displayed. The status bar displays SC to indicate scoping is in effect.
8. To add another search expression, do these steps:

Tip:
The original search expression, created on the General page, can be modified on the General page.

1. In the Current Criteria box, select the expression which you want to precede the new expression.
2. Select a Boolean operator, qualifier, relative operator, and value.
3. Click Add to add the search expression to the Current Criteria box.

Tip:
To remove a search expression created on the Scoping page, select it in the Current Criteria box and click Remove. To delete all the search expressions, except for the expression that you created on the General tabbed page, click Clear.

9. To edit a search expression created on the scoping page, do these steps:
   1. Select the search expression in the Current Criteria box.
   2. Change the operators, qualifier, or values.
   3. Click Update to update the search expression in the Current Criteria box.

10. Click Search to begin searching. The results list appears.