The IEEE Xplore® query language lets you build search queries or requests that are often more powerful and targeted than the searches you can do using simple author or keyword searches. Basic Search guides you through the process of creating search expressions using query language, while Advanced Search allows you to create your own free-form queries.
A query is a command to find and select records from a database. Often, you want to find records according to specific criteria, such as records for articles written by a particular author. The query language provides a way for you to express the information you want and any criteria you want the information to meet.
A query consists of one or more search expressions. A search expression may be a single word you want to find anywhere within a record, or a complex combination of other search expressions, all of which together form a query.
You build search expressions using three types of basic elements:
· Search text: the actual words, partial words, and phrases you want successfully matching records to contain. Also called search terms.
Simple queries may contain search text only, such as a single word. You can perform simple queries using Author Search, Basic Search, or Advanced Search.
See Search Text.
· Operators: elements that express a relationship between two search terms or search expressions, or that otherwise modify a search expression. For example, <and>, <or>, and <not> are examples of search operators.
See Operators.
· Field codes: special elements that identify bibliographic fields in an abstract/citation record so you can target a specific field as one of your criteria.
See Field Codes.