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Friday, Jan 30, 2015

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How to use advanced search


Searches on the Ohio University website with no results happen to everyone, and they can be frustrating. However, to the right of the search bar is a link that reads “Advanced Search,” and that link can be a big help.

The average student, faculty or staff member is probably unaware of how many options the University’s advanced search bar provides, leaving many of them searching unsuccessfully.

Here are some tips to help searchers  become master navigators of the search engine.

Absolutely asterisk

When using the advanced search engine, there is one key tool: the asterisk. The asterisk is a “wild card,” that allows the search engine to expand results on vague or incomplete information. While it is not always needed, when in doubt, use an asterisk.

Putting it together:

If you have John Doe’s first name and know his department, you can use this to find his entry. Enter “John” in the first name section and “Department X*” in the last name section. The asterisk is included in case he is listed under a specific department branch, like “Department X, Director’s Office.”

If you know Jane Doe’s last name and residence hall and you want her telephone number, enter “Jane” into the last name box and her hall’s postal address into the address bar. If she lives at 111 East Green Drive, type “111 E* Gr*” to account for any variation in the hall’s listing.

If you want a list of all students in a hall, search the hall’s postal address. If looking for the faculty in a building, search with the building’s name.

For example, use “111 E* Gr*,” for student listings, but “Lindley*,” for faculty and staff. Department lists can also be found this way.

Little known features:

  • If looking for the weather, search “weather Athens”
  • If looking for a building on an interactive map, search “map [building name]” 
  • If looking for a person’s personal entry and related listings, search “person [person’s name].”
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