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Arkansas State University

Library Catalog: Search Result Page

Use this guide to learn how to find books, magazines, dvds, pretty much anything using the Library Catalog.

Result Page

Result Page

 

After you search, you will be taken to the results page. This lists everything the Catalog found with the keywords you searched. The results on this page are in relevant order - meaning that the higher the result is on the list, the more likely it matches your search.

Here's a breakdown of what you should see on the results page:

1. The number of results found. If you get a really large number here, you may want to narrow down your topic. Note: the Catalog caps, or truncates, at 10,000 results.

2. This line includes the type of search you did and the keyword(s) you used. If you get a surprisingly small number, check and make sure you did not misspell any keywords.

3. The results in relevant order. If your keywords, or search terms, appear in the titles, they will be highlighted.

4. You can change the sorting to sort by newest, oldest, or title.

5. The filters on the right hand side of the screen allow you to narrow down your results further by last 10 years or by collection.

How is Relevance Determined?

Believe it or not, the Library uses a fancy algorithm that gives weight to different factors and assigns points. The more "points" an item has, the higher in the list it appears. For example if your keyword appears in the title, it gets a point. If your keywords appears in the item's subject listing, it gets another point. Two keywords in a subject listing? Two points!