How to refine your search

Simple Search

At its simplest, a search query can be just a word. But you can refine your search to give more complete results:

• Look for a phrase by typing the whole phrase. For example, type rail regulator to find the exact phrase "rail regulator". Note the search is not case-sensitive, so Rail Regulator will also be found;
  
  
• Look for two or more words in the same document by using the AND operator. For example, type rail AND regulator to find documents that have both the word rail and the word regulator within them;
  
  
• Look for one or other words by using the OR operator. Note that if you don't use the OR operator and search using multiple words, the words are treated as a phrase. For example, type trains OR locomotives to find the word "trains" or the word "locomotives", but not necessarily both;
  
  
• Look for words that start with the same letters by adding * to the end of the word. For example, type rail* to find rail, rails, railways, railing, and so on; and
  
  
• Limit your search by using the AND NOT operator to exclude words. For example, type "regulator AND NOT network rail" to find all instances of regulator, as long as phrase "network rail" is not in the document.

Additional features of the Advanced search

The simple search looks through the metadata and text of every web page on the site to find the most appropriate matches. The advanced search in addition allows you to limit the number of documents searched. For instance supplying a date range will produce a sub-set of documents, which will then be subsequently searched for the supplied word or phrase.

• Date range - Supplying a date range will constrain the search to just those documents published on or between the dates specified. The publish date is considered as the date the document was last modified or added to the site. NB: If only one date is supplied then the search will be open-ended, returning documents up to the To date or after the From date as appropriate. Note dates must include both the month and year.
  
  
• Subject area - Selecting one or more of the content items will constrain the search just to the content sections selected. To select multiple sections you need to depress the CTRL key (for PCs) or the Apple Key (for Macs) while clicking on the sections you would like to include in your search. If you accidently choose a section that you don't require you can simply click it again to remove it from your list.
  
  
• Content type - Each item on the site has been classified by a pre-defined set of document types. To search for a particular type of document such as a 'press notice' select it from the check boxes. Multiple document types can be selected as necessary.
  
  
• The search criteria may also be used in conjunction with each other. For example finding documents in the Licensing section that contain the word train and have been published between Jan 2001 and Jan 2002.