T h e Z R o n C D T h e s a u r u s
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Choosing a Type of Search
You can use the Thesaurus to explode a term or conduct a single-term search. Explode
your search term to retrieve both the selected term and all the narrower terms. Use single-
term searches to limit your search to a single specific topic. Search results show the num-
ber of citations that match your selected term and any of the exploded or narrower terms.
Exploding Terms
When you explode a term, the system will search for occurrences of the selected term
plus all its narrower, more specific terms. With an explosion, you can find information
that may not be indexed to the selected term but, because it is indexed to a narrower
term, is pertinent to your topic. In an explosion, the term and all its narrower terms are
automatically combined using the
or operator.
For example, narrower terms indexed under
Diet include Dietary deficiency and Insect
prey. If you search for just the term Diet, you will not retrieve records that are indexed
to the more specific terms. However, if you explode
Diet, you also will retrieve records
that mention any of the narrower terms.
The
Explode Term menu choice is not an option if your term has no narrower terms.
If your term appears in more than one tree, you can choose to explode the term from
any single tree or from all trees simultaneously. If you decide to explode while viewing a
particular expanded tree, you do not need to choose a tree to explode. The tree you are
viewing will automatically be selected.
In many instances, narrower terms are different in different trees. You may explode all
trees. An explosion from all trees, however, would retrieve records containing any of the
tree terms.
Exploding a Term from a Single Tree
PC SPIRS
1. Select
Explode Term from the
Selected Term Details.
2. Enter the Tree Number from
which you want to explode your
term.
WinSPIRS
1. Click on the term in the tree
that you want to explode. The term
is highlighted and the label of the
Explode in tree #
option in the
Search Option box is automatically
changed to the tree number you
have selected.
2. Click on
Explode in tree #
in the
Search Option box.
3. Click on
Search Now
to
conduct the search immediately or
Add to list...
to add the term to the
selected term list for later searching.
Exploding a term will search
for the selected term and all
narrower terms.
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