how to metasearch
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www.ntu.ac.uk/llr June 2009 [email protected]
Go to eSearch direct url is http://metalib.ntu.ac.uk/ (you might want to make it a favourite)
or
via Library website – link to eSearch on the homepage
Log-in you don’t need to log-in to view our databases and journals but it makes it a lot easier to do it straight away. Log-in is in top right hand corner under the blue bar.
You will find yourself in the middle of the database page (see below)so you need to click on “Metasearch”.
Setting up favourite databases to metasearch
Discover what databases in your subject field can be metasearched by selecting “Sciences including Sport Science” from the list of categories and then “All” from the list of sub-categories (see image below).
Make a database your ‘favourite’ by clicking on in the actions column. You know it’s worked if it changes to . Be aware that you can only metasearch 8 databases at a time.
Metasearch
Performing a metasearch of your favourite databases
Staying on the same webpage, click on the drop down menu next to “Select Search Type” on the left-hand side and choose “My databases”. You will now see that all the databases you added as favourites are displayed and that there is a tick in the box next to the database name.
You are ready to search!
Enter your chosen keywords in the box above the databases and click “Go”. It defaults to the simple search but you could select advanced which lets you specify which field your keyword appears in e.g. subject, title, author etc
Viewing results of metasearches
Once all the databases have been searched for you keywords, you will be presented with a list of results. Metasearch automatically defaults to results found in the first database in the list (see below).
www.ntu.ac.uk/llr June 2009 [email protected]
To view results from other databases – click on “view results by database” and click on “view” to the right of the relevant database name.
To see more information on a listed result – click on the title to see a full record and abstract (if provided by database). Click on within this page to see if it is available at NTU.
To return to the results list – click on “table view” (located on the left-hand side of the page).
To refine your search – click on “refine” to broaden or narrow your search.
To perform another search – click on “Search” and it will take you back to your list of favourite databases to metasearch.
To save your results – click on to send this result to your “e-shelf” in “My eSearch”.
To save your search terms – perform a search and go to “previous searches”. Searches conducted in your present session will be listed. Click on to add it to your history.
Viewing saved searches – Go to My eSearch and click on history. Click on the query name, e.g. equine welfare, to run the search.
My eSearch
Every time you save something in eSearch or make it a favourite by clicking on it is saved to My eSearch in the appropriate session.
eShelf – journal articles discovered via eSearch.My Databases – favourite databases (note: you cannot metasearch from here, you must select
metasearch from the list of options beneath the blue bar).My e-Journals – favourite journalsHistory – saved searches performed in Metasearch
www.ntu.ac.uk/llr June 2009 [email protected]