SFSU : Search Tips

Search Tips

Find Results:

Find information you are looking for by searching SFSU's main servers.
If you maintain a department or faculty web site, there is a separate document about the search engine we encourage you to review. This document includes information on how often we index the server, how to bring your page higher in the search results and how to add a search box on your pages.

Search Method:

Display Search Results by:

Search Only:

Number of results/page:

Sorted by:

About SEARCH METHOD:

Search Method: Search for all the above words
Finds web pages that include all of the words typed in a search. This search mode is similar to using the Boolean AND expression. This is the default setting.
Search Method: Search for any of the above words
Finds web pages that include any of the words typed in a search. This search mode is similar to using the Boolean OR expression.
Search Method: Use a Boolean expression
Use boolean expressions to describe exactly what you are searching for using the operators AND, OR, and NOT. You can combine your search words using these operators. Use parentheses (nesting) to further refine your search by creating sets. For example, a search for(A or B) and (C or D) finds all pages that contain either A or B AND either C or D.
Here are some examples of Boolean searches:

library and hours
hours or open
(library or lab) and (hours or open)
(library not lab) and hours

About DISPLAY SEARCH RESULTS:

Display Search Results by: Title
Search results will display page titles only.
Display Search Results by: Title and Summary
Search results will display page titles and an extract from the document around one of the search words.

About SEARCH ONLY:

Search Only: Campus-wide
Find documents on any of the servers within sfsu.edu that are indexed.
Search Only: Office/Staff Directory
Search only for documents in the Office/Staff Directory.
Search Only: Bulletin/Catalog
Search only for documents in the Bulletin/Catalog.

About NUMBER OF RESULTS/PAGE:

Number of results/page: 20
Select how many search results are displayed on each page. The default is set to 20.

About SORTED BY:

Sorted by: Search ranking
Sorts results by ranking.
Sorted by: Document title (alpha)
Sorts results by document title in alphabetical order.
Sorted by: Newest document first
Sorts results by newest document first.
Sorted by: Oldest document first
Sorts results by oldest document first.

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1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132 (415) 338-1111
Last modified November 14, 2006 by the Web Team

About SEARCH METHOD:
Search Method: Search for all the above words Finds web pages that include all of the words typed in a search. This search mode is similar to using the Boolean AND expression. This is the default setting. Search Method: Search for any of the above words Finds web pages that include any of the words typed in a search. This search mode is similar to using the Boolean OR expression. Search Method: Use a Boolean expression Use boolean expressions to describe exactly what you are searching for using the operators AND, OR, and NOT. You can combine your search words using these operators. Use parentheses (nesting) to further refine your search by creating sets. For example, a search for(A or B) and (C or D) finds all pages that contain either A or B AND either C or D. Here are some examples of Boolean searches: library and hours hours or open (library or lab) and (hours or open) (library not lab) and hours
About DISPLAY SEARCH RESULTS:
Display Search Results by: Title Search results will display page titles only. Display Search Results by: Title and Summary Search results will display page titles and an extract from the document around one of the search words.
About SEARCH ONLY:
Search Only: Campus-wide Find documents on any of the servers within sfsu.edu that are indexed. Search Only: Office/Staff Directory Search only for documents in the Office/Staff Directory. Search Only: Bulletin/Catalog Search only for documents in the Bulletin/Catalog.
About NUMBER OF RESULTS/PAGE:
Number of results/page: 20 Select how many search results are displayed on each page. The default is set to 20.
About SORTED BY:
Sorted by: Search ranking Sorts results by ranking. Sorted by: Document title (alpha) Sorts results by document title in alphabetical order. Sorted by: Newest document first Sorts results by newest document first. Sorted by: Oldest document first Sorts results by oldest document first.