To enter a query into Search Haven, just type in a few descriptive words and hit the 'enter' key
(or click on the Search button) for a list of relevant web pages. Since Search Haven only returns
web pages that contain all the words in your query, refining or narrowing your search is as simple
as adding more words to the search terms you have already entered. Your new query will return a
smaller subset of the pages Search Haven found for your original "too-broad" query.
Choosing Keywords
For best results, it's important to choose your keywords wisely. Keep these tips in mind:
- Try the obvious first. If you're looking for information on Picasso, enter "Picasso" rather than
"painters".
- Use words likely to appear on a site with the information you want. "Luxury hotel dubuque" gets
better results than "really nice places to spend the night in Dubuque".
- Make keywords as specific as possible. "Antique lead soldiers" gets more relevant results than
"old metal toys".
Automatic "and" Queries
By default, Search Haven only returns pages that include all of your search terms. There is no need to
include "and" between terms. Keep in mind that the order in which the terms are typed will affect
the search results. To restrict a search further, just include more terms. For example, to plan
a vacation to Hawaii, simply type:
Automatic Exclusion of Common Words
Search Haven ignores common words and characters such as "where" and "how", as well as certain single
digits and single letters, because they tend to slow down your search without improving the results.
If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include it by putting a "+" sign
in front of it. (Be sure to include a space before the "+" sign.)
Another method for doing this is conducting a phrase search, which simply means putting
quotation marks around two or more words. Common words in a phrase search (e.g., "where are you")
are included in the search.
For example, to search for Star Wars, Episode I, use:
~ OR ~
" - " Searches
Sometimes what you're searching for has more than one meaning; "bass" can refer to fishing or music.
You can exclude a word from your search by putting a minus sign ("-") immediately in front of the term
you want to avoid. (Be sure to include a space before the minus sign.)
For example, to find web pages about bass that do not contain the word "music", type:
Phrase Searches
Search for complete phrases by enclosing them in quotation marks.
Words enclosed in double quotes ("like this") will appear together in all results
exactly as you have entered them. Phrase searches are especially useful when searching
for famous sayings or proper names.
"OR" Searches
Search Haven supports the logical "OR" operator. To retrieve pages that include either
word A or word B, use an uppercase OR between terms.
For example, to search for a vacation in either London or Paris, just type:
Capitalization
Search Haven searches are NOT case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how you type them, will
be understood as lower case. For example, searches for "george washington", "George Washington",
and "gEoRgE wAsHiNgToN" will all return the same results.
Word Variations (Stemming)
To provide the most accurate results, Search Haven does not use "stemming" or support "wildcard"
searches. In other words, Search Haven searches for exactly the words that you enter in the search box.
Searching for "search" or "search*" will not yield "searched" or "searching". If in doubt, try both
forms: "airline" and "airlines," for instance.
Search By Category
The Search Haven Directory is a good place to start if you're not exactly sure which search keywords to
use. For example, searching for [ Saturn ] within the Science > Astronomy category of the Search Haven
Directory returns only pages about the planet Saturn, while searching for [ Saturn ] within the Automotive
category returns only pages about Saturn cars. Searching within a category of interest allows you to quickly
narrow in on only the most relevant pages to you.
Domain Restrict
If you know the website you want to search but aren't sure where the information is located
within that site, you can use Search Haven to search only that domain. Do this by entering
what you're looking for followed by the word "site" and a colon followed by the domain name.
For example, to find admission information on Yale University's site, enter:
