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Searching the Petroleum Abstracts TULSA® Database

Tutorial

Welcome to EBSCO’s Petroleum Abstracts TULSA® Database tutorial, where we will demonstrate the available searching options and review the unique indexing features of this comprehensive, industry-

focused resource. When creating an advanced search, we will also add the GeoRef database to demonstrate a multi-database search.

We’ll begin by conducting a Basic Search in Petroleum Abstracts for the term oil sand*, employing the asterisk truncation symbol to ensure we return results containing all forms of the word sand, including

plurals.

In the Search Options window, it is easy to limit or expand your search results. For the database selected in this example, you will see the ability to limit a search by Linked Full Text, Document

Type, Category, or Patent Records Only.

The Result List is displayed, defaulted to the Date sort order. To change the sort order, select the drop-down menu arrow and choose a different order from the list, such as relevance or source. The Result

List displays the All Results Source Type by default, and can be filtered to view results by specific document type, such as Journal Articles, or Conference Papers, using the links at the top of the list.

To view the Article Detail page for a result, click the hyperlinked article title in the result list.

You can print, email, save, cite or export a single result from the Article Detail page when you click on the corresponding icon. To print, email, save, cite or export multiple results, add them to the folder, then

move them from inside the folder. Folder contents can be saved by clicking on the Sign In to My EBSCOhost link, then setting up a personalized folder account at no charge.

The Thesaurus provides a vocabulary of Petroleum Abstracts terms that assist in more effectively searching the database. For a specific subject, enter a term in the Browsing field and click Browse. Related article terms, or categories, will appear. Check the box in front of the desired term and click

Add. Your term is added to the Find field above. You can also enter additional search terms to the Find field before clicking Search.

By clicking the Indexes link along the top toolbar, you can browse a list of indexes specific to the Petroleum Abstracts database, such as Chemical

Subject, Corporate Affiliation/Patent Assignee, as well as several other Patent related indexes.

Select an index category in the drop-down from which you would like to search, such as Patent Country, and then enter a corresponding search term, such as United States. Click Browse. Check the box in front of the desired term and click Add. Your term is now added to the Find field. You can

also enter additional search terms to the Find field before clicking Search.

Next we will conduct a multi-database Advanced Search, using the Guided Style Find fields. To add additional databases to your search, click the Choose Databases link above the Find field.

The Choose Databases window appears. To view detailed descriptions of the databases available in the current profile, click the Detailed View link. You can also hover your pointer over the

description icon to the right of the database name. In this example, we will check the box next to GeoRef, and click OK to add the database to the search.

Click the Advanced Search link below the Find field. Depending on how your administrator has configured your account, you may see the Guided Style Find fields. Begin by entering a search term in the first Find field, and then if desired, select which field to search, from the drop-down list. Repeat this for each Find field you wish to use. If you would like to add additional rows, click the Add Row

link below the Search button.

Under the Search Options, the Advanced Search Screen offers additional search limiters for increased result refinement. When searching multiple databases, you can apply Special Limiters that are unique to each database being searched. For example, Patent limiters will be applied to only the

search performed within Petroleum Abstracts, while the Type of Degree limiter will be apply to only the GeoRef database. Click Search to view the Result List.

The Result List is displayed. You can save Result List items to the session folder by clicking on the Add to folder link that accompanies each result. These saved search results can be examined more closely at a later date, as well as printed, emailed, or saved to your computer. Be sure to sign up for a personal My

EBSCOhost folder to save your articles beyond the current session.

At any time during your session, you can click on the Help link to view the complete online Help system.