Glossary of Terms Used in Help

About this Publication page

 The About this Publication page displays publication information about the source from which a document originates. Depending on the collection and publication you are currently viewing, you may find a thumbnail image of the publication's cover along with relevant publication information, such as ISBN/ISSN, eBook ISBN, subject areas of the book, Library of Congress (LC) subject headings, and a brief description of the publication. Note that ISBNs are displayed in the ISBN-13 format (using 13 digits).

You can access this page by clicking the name of the source from your search results, Marked Items list, and from the document display page.

This page is not available in all database collections.

academic journals

 Academic journals are scholarly in nature and are usually published by a university or an academic society or organization. Often academic journals are peer-reviewed (also known as "refereed").

Advanced Search

 When Basic Search isn't finding what you're looking for, or you want to enter additional search criteria, try an Advanced Search. Advanced Search lets you build as simple or as complex a search expression as you want. You can search one or more indexes for the word(s) you enter to create highly targeted searches. You may also enter additional search limiters to further focus your search.

Advanced Search indexes

 Indexes are searchable fields of information that you can use when creating an Advanced Search. Just like you can find a book in a library by its author, title, subject, or catalog number, every document in this database collection is stored (or indexed) using information about the document. For example, some typical ways to search for documents may be based on any combination of author, title, date of publication, subject matter, Gale document number, and so on. Gale database collections also have additional indexes that are specific to the type of content you'll find. For example, collections that include magazines and/or journals, let you search for articles by the periodical's identification number, known as its ISSN.

banner bars

 The page banner at the top of the page displays the title of the database. You may also find links to your library (if enabled), a way to access other Gale databases or exit from this database, and some collections offer tools that help you use and manage the information you find. The banner also contains a bar (or row) that contains links or buttons that let you select the type of search you wish to perform.

Basic Search

 Basic Search offers a straightforward way to search by entering a word or phrase into a single search box. In some collections, you may be able to select how the search will be performed (by searching only key fields, or searching all text, for example). And in some cases you may also be able to enter search limiters.

Bookmark

 The Gale Bookmark (formerly known as an InfoMark) is the "Web address" of the specific page of the Gale collection you are viewing, be it your search results, a specific document you are viewing, or your list of Marked Items. What is special about this Web address is that you can come back directly to this same page, even when your current search session is over. This allows you to easily refer back to and share with others the information you found in a Gale collection. Note that anyone who uses a Gale Bookmark must have access to the Gale database collection from which the Bookmark came.

CCL Advanced Search

 The CCL Advanced Search page offers another way of doing an Advanced Search for those who prefer to structure their search query more like a programming code instruction. The CCL Advanced Search (CCL stands for Command Control Language) allows you to choose indexes to search on from a drop-down menu or to directly enter their two-character index abbreviations.

Dictionary or Encyclopedia

 Some Gale database collections offer an online dictionary and/or encyclopedia so that you can look up terms during your search session. If available in the database you are using, you'll find a Dictionary or Dictionaries link in the banner area at the top of the page.

document

 Your search leads you to documents, which are, simply put, individual texts, with or without graphics, that contain information. Depending on the Gale collection you are currently searching, documents may be reference essays, magazine and journal articles, newspaper columns, pages from an eBook, primary sources such as letters and diary entries, literary works such as poems and plays, the facsimile view of historic texts/manuscripts and so on.

Documents may also be brief references to other documents where the full-text version is not included in this Gale collection. For example, you may find citations and abstracts. A citation provides only publication information (no actual text of the article or work). An abstract includes the citation along with a summary of the article or work.

Lastly, the general term document is also used to mean some type of multimedia file, if available in the Gale collection you are using.

All documents can be viewed on the document display page.

document display page

 Clicking on a document title from either the search results list or from your Marked Items list takes you to the document display page. Here you'll find information about the document, as well as the text associated with the document, be it a reference essay, periodical article, abstract, facsimile view of a historic manuscript, or other type of document, depending on the database collection you are using. The document display page is also used for multimedia files, when multimedia content is available in the collection you are searching.

Gale Databases Menu

 The Gale Databases Menu displays all the Gale collections available in your library or school's subscription. Depending on how your library's website is set up, you may view the Gale Databases Menu when you first access your library's Gale resources. Or if your library takes you directly into a Gale database product, you can go to the Gale Databases Menu by clicking the Change Databases link on the page banner.

interlibrary loan

 Some Gale database collections let you request a resource from another library connected to your library or your library's catalog system directly from your search results, Marked Items list, and when viewing a document. When enabled, this feature will not appear for materials your library has in its holdings, or when the Gale database you are searching contains the PDF version of the document.

keyword search (key fields)

 A keyword search searches significant areas of information (known as fields), such as titles, authors, subjects, and so on (the actual fields searched varies by database). Since it searches a broad range of key fields at once, the keyword search is a good, all-purpose search and is often recommended as a starting point for your research. Keyword search is often used for Basic Search and may also be available as an Advanced Search index.

library bar

 The library bar, at the top of the page banner, displays the Gale logo and a link to return to your library or institution's home page, if enabled. The library link (if present) may also feature a drop-down menu to other areas within your library or institution's Web site. Simply mouse over the library link to access specific library links such as "Ask a Librarian," "Library Catalog," or other options set by your library/institution.

library holdings

 Some Gale database collections let you link to your library's online catalog(s) directly from your search results, Marked Items list, and when viewing a document. In this way you check immediately if a particular publication is available at your library.

Marked Items list

 When you find search results and individual documents of interest, you can "mark" them, which which stores them in a Marked Items list. You can then view and/or retrieve all Marked Items at once. You will be able to mark items from your search results and from the document display page. You may collect up to 50 documents in your Marked Items list. Once you logout, your Marked Items list will be cleared, unless you first Bookmark it.

PDF

 Some Gale database collections provide the Portable Document Format (PDF) version of a document, so that you can view and/or print the document using AcrobatTM Reader, a free application available from Adobe Systems. Depending on the collection you are viewing and its available content, PDF files may be retrieved for many kinds of documents, including (where available) articles and citations from magazines, journals, and eBooks. PDF versions may also be available for certain image files, such as maps, charts and tables. When viewing the PDF file, you will see an image of the document as it originally appeared in publication.

Person Search

 Some Gale database collections offer Person Search as one of the search types. Person Search allows you to find information related to an individual or group of individuals who match your search criteria. Person Search allows you to search on specific attributes, such as gender or nationality, giving you flexibility in your searching.

previous searches

 You can access a history of the searches you've performed during your current session (up to 50 past searches will be displayed). You can then re-run a prior search, or modify it. You can even combine two or more previous search queries together using logical operators (AND, OR, NOT) on the CCL Advanced Search page. The Previous Searches link will appear after you have performed your first search.

results list

 A successful search produces a results list of titles of documents from the database that match your search criteria. Results list items typically list key publication information for the document and display icons or links that summarize the content and retrieval options available for the document. In this way you can tell at a glance if you want to view the full document. To view a document, simply click its underlined document title and you will be taken to the document display page.

search limiters

 Search limiters let you enter additional search criteria, which further narrow your search results. For example, you may want to search for documents with a specific publication date (or range of dates) or only for documents with images. The available search limiters depend on the Gale database collection you are using and the type of search being performed. Not all search types offer search limiters.

search path bar

 The search path bar provides links to the types of searches available in the database you are currently using, such as Basic Search and Advanced Search. It is one of the banner bars found at the top of most pages.

Search sidebar

 You'll find a handy Search sidebar in the left-hand margin of the results list, document display page, and (where available) the About this Publication page. The Search sidebar lets you perform a new search directly from that page. In addition, you may find other options, such as searching within your current results, searching within a single publication, and/or linking to related documents.

Subject Guide Search

 Some Gale database collections offer Subject Guide Search as one of the search types. Performing a Subject Guide search means your search term(s) are matched against entries in the Subject Guide, a thesaurus-like listing of pre-defined subject headings. The system displays subject headings that match what you entered, or are in some way related. You can select a subject to view a results list, or you can "drill-down" through the Subject Guide looking for more subjects. Subject Guide searching is a good way to find information by topic, or to take your research in a slightly different, but related direction.

tabs

 Tabs organize your search results into groups of documents that are similar in some way (such as from the same kinds of sources, or documents with similar purpose/structure/content, for example, all biographies may be found on one tab and all multimedia content on another). As part of the tab name, you'll find a count of the results for that tab. Many databases offer a variety of tabs, although not every tab may contain items, depending on your actual search results. Tabs with no results are "grayed out" and will not work. By default, results on the left-most tab will be displayed first. To switch to another tab, simply click on the tab name. The tab you are currently viewing will be highlighted in a contrasting color to distinquish it from the other tabs. Note that the tab names and types of content vary by database collection.

title bar

 The title bar, found on the banner of each page, contains links for setting session preferences, accessing a list of other Gale databases, and logging out.

In some collections, you can change the text size of the display by clicking the small, medium or large letter A.

Also in some collections, you can link to the Gale web site by clicking on the company logo in the upper left-hand corner.

toolbar

 When used, the toolbar, found on the banner of each page, offers the following tools: Bookmark, Dictionaries, Title List, Help, and where available, Tips and Guided Tour icons. The Tips and Guided Tour links will take you to the Gale web site for more information about the product you are currently using.

Two additional links, Marked Items and Previous Searches appear on the toolbar only when they contain items to be displayed.

Note that the toolbar is not present in every Gale database collection.

tools box

 Some Gale database collections offer a handy tools box when you are viewing a document that let you print, email, download, view a PDF version of and translate the document, as well as generate a bibliographic citation. The actual tools available depend on the database and the actual content of the document displayed.

translate

 Some Gale database collections let you translate the text of the document you are viewing into another language that you select. Note that this is a machine translation and should not be considered a replacement for human translation.

Works Search

 Some Gale database collections offer Works Search as one of the search types. Works Search lets you find information about written works that match your specific search criteria. You can also use Works Search to find works themselves - the full-text, electronic version of poems, plays, stories, or whatever type of primary source content is available in the collection you are searching.