Search Tips

To conduct a search, type the required search terms (individual words or phrases) into the relevant search boxes. You may combine any number of fields and constraints: e.g. you might specify an author's name, year of publication and a number of terms that should appear within the full text. More complex searches may also be executed within the full text field using Boolean (AND, OR, NOT) and proximity operators (N or W, and a number specifying the number of words).

When you have finished entering your search criteria, select the scope of your search to your chosen collections (select all or click individual collections) and click 'Start advanced search'. Your search results will then be displayed on a separate page.

Note: Between search boxes, all terms are treated by default as if they were combined using the Boolean operator 'AND'.

For more detailed information on searching, please see our 'Help with Advanced Search' page. Tips on browsing and searching Shakespeare Survey Online specifically may be found on the 'Modes of Use' page.