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How To Use WebSpirs®
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WebSPIRS® 
databases may be used to search for citations and abstracts of journal articles and books, listings and other information. It is accessible via the Internet using Internet Explorer, Netscape or Firefox from UW-Whitewater workstations and elsewhere.
Logging In/Out
To login, begin on any University Library webpage. Select Articles from the Find menu, then click on the link for WebSPIRS® listed under Indexes & Databases by System or select any WebSPIRS® database listed under Indexes & Databases in Alphabetical Order.
To exit, click on Logout in the upper right-hand corner of the display.
Selecting Databases
On the Available Databases display, click in the blank checkbox preceding each desired database or, to deselect a database, click in the marked checkbox preceding it. Then click on 
.
To change the currently selected databases, click on 
after the View Databases Being Searched box, to open the Available Databases display.
Searching
To search, type names, words, numbers, phrases or combinations of terms into the textbox, using the Techniques listed below. Then click on 
.
To search for a citation, abstract, listing or other information by its title, author or subject descriptor, or other criteria, click on the Advanced search tab. Then type the exact title, name (last name first name or first name last name), subject descriptor or other term into a Terms textbox, select an option from the menu beside it, such as Author, Editor, Inventor (AU) and click on .
Techniques
| To Find Records With: | Search For: |
|---|---|
|
various forms of a word, such as: sail, sails, sailor, sailboat, sailing, etc. |
sail* |
| adjacent words, in any order, including phrase | endangered species |
| more than one word, adjacent or not | endangered and species |
| synonyms or other related words | england or britain or united kingdom |
|
multiple words, including synonyms or other related words |
crim* and violen* and (juvenile* or teen*) |
Limits
There are many possible limits to set, which vary among the databases. Below are instructions for some common limits.
Most databases have some limits right on the Search display, which may be set before running a search by checking a box. For other limits, using the Search or Advanced display, first click on after No search limits set, then:
To limit search results by language in any database except NASW Clinical Register, select language(s) from the Language, Second Language, or Original Language menu (whichever is applicable in the database). Click on 
.
To limit search results by year of publication, in any databases except Mental Measurements Yearbook and NASW Clinical Register, under Publication Year, define a date range by selecting years from the From and To menus, then click on .
To undo limits settings, click on 
after Search limits are set.
Search History
To repeat a search, to edit a query or to combine previous queries either with one another or with additional words, first click on the Search History tab. Then:
To repeat a search, click on 
in the Display column following it.
To delete a query from the Search History, click in its checkbox, then on 
.
To edit a previous search, click in its checkbox, then on 
.
To combine previous searches with one another using only one Boolean operator, click in the checkbox beside each one to be combined, then click on 
or 
following Combine and search using.
To combine previous searches with one another using a combination of Boolean operators, perform a search using their respective numbers in the textbox.
For example: (#1 or #2) and #3
To combine a previous search with additional words using either Boolean operator, perform a search using its respective number in the textbox.
For example: #1 and sail*
Displaying Results
The search string and the number of retrieved records are indicated above the display of results. Results are displayed in sets of 10 records.
In most databases, each record identifies a work's author(s) (AU), and either the title (TI) of a book with its publisher information (SO), or the title (TI) of a journal or book article, dissertation or abstract published in a specific volume or issue of a journal or anthology of edited papers (SO), the publication language (LA), and accession number (AN).
To view assigned subject descriptors, click on 
following Complete Record.
To browse up or down a display of records, click on 
or 
on the scroll bar.
To display the preceding or next set of records, if available, click on 
or 
.
To display a set of records beginning with a specific record, type its number into the Go To Record textbox, then click on 
beside it.
Marking Records
To print, save, or email several records at one time, first click on the checkbox preceding the record's number to mark it. Next select Marked Results from the Show menu to display the marked records, then follow the instructions below for printing, saving or emailing.
To remove all marks, click on 
.
Printing, Saving and Emailing
Printing Results
To print displayed or marked records, click on 
. On the Print Options display, click on a radio button beside an option under:
| Print Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Records to be printed | to specify all records retrieved, a range of records, or marked records only |
| Print these fields | to specify pre-selected fields, or select fields of choice |
| Also print | to include search history, record number and database name and format field labels |
Then click on 
, or 
and then .
Saving Results to Disk
Insert a portable storage medium into the workstation's disc drive or USB port, or select your student storage folder.
To save displayed or marked records, click on 
. On the Save Records to Disk display, click on a radio button beside an option under:
| Save Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Save these records | to specify all records retrieved, a range of records, or marked records only |
| Save these fields | to specify pre-selected fields, or select fields of choice |
| Also save | to include search history, record number and database name and format field labels |
Click on 
. In the popup window, type a name for the file in the File Name: box. For Example: A:myfile.txt. Then click on Save.
Emailing Results
To email displayed or marked records, click on 
. On the Send Mail display, type a complete email address (for example, bushgw06@uww.edu) into the Send records to textbox, then click on a radio button beside an option under:
| Send Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Send these records | to specify all records retrieved, a range of records, or marked records only |
| Send these fields | to specify pre-selected fields, or select fields of choice |
| Also send | to include search history, record number and database name, to format field labels, and to wrap the text |
Then click on 
.
Finding Full Text
The Social Works Abstracts database does not contain the full text of articles indexed in them. To locate the text, use the Searching for Full Text? link in the WEBLH field of the article record. This will open the Find It Menu, which is a time-saving device that shows whether the University Library has access to the full text of an article online, in print or microform, or not at all. If the full text is not available in the library, a link is provided for ordering it for a small fee via interlibrary loan using ILLiad. To read more about finding the text of articles, read the Find It section of the How to Use Find It & Citation Linker guide.
Open WebSPIRS
Are you ready to search the WebSPIRS databases? Use this link to open WebSPIRS .
WebSPIRS Help
For context-sensitive help, click on Help.
For additional assistance, contact a reference librarian at (262) 472-1032, by email or chat or in person at the Library's Reference Desk.
Last Revised: MS - 2/21/2008
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, 800 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI 53190-1790.
Circulation Desk: 262.472.5511 | Reference Desk: 262.472.1032 | Periodicals Desk: 262.472.1545
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