After you’ve saved a search with sets, you can view the complete saved strategy—all of the sets saved with your search—on the Saved searches page. If you’ve saved sets—required or optional—with your search, this text line displays with the search on the Saved searches page:

Search strategy contains multiple sets

Adjacent to the text is a Show/Hide toggle link. Click the link to show or hide the complete list of sets saved with a search.

Beneath the text, other details about your saved search display—including what databases the search targeted and any defined project code or notes.

Important to know — If you narrowed any of the sets in your strategy, using Results page filters such as Source type = newspapers or Language = English, or applied any limiters such as Full text, those filters and limiters are reflected directly with mnemonics in the sets as displayed in your strategy.

For example:
S3 (space exploration) AND la.exact("ENG")

Beneath the details, a number of links display, including one labeled Edit search strategy. Click the link and a page of the same name opens.

Editing your search strategy

At the top of the Edit Search Strategy page, the name of your search displays, along with any optional notes you’ve added. Beneath these elements is a table that displays your search strategy, with each set displayed in a row. Related links and controls—described below—are positioned above and below the table.

What’s in the table

The table contains five columns:

• Set # — Displays the set number in the form of S1, S2, etc. The sets are listed in the order that you originally ran them, with S1 at the top, and your final search at the bottom.
• Search — Displays the search terms corresponding to the set number. The searches are directly editable. You can add or subtract from a search. If you want to enter a very long search, just keep typing and the text will wrap to a new line as necessary. The boxes support the same input and commands you can use in Command Line Search. Refer to the Search tips and Common Field Codes topics for help and reference while editing.
• Run set — Click the run link to run only the corresponding set. When you click the link, the set runs and the number of results retrieved is displayed in the corresponding Result(s) column cell.
  Tip — Click the run all link in the column header to run each set in the strategy in succession. Result(s) numbers will display in the Result(s) column, and each search will be added sequentially to the Recent searches page.
• Result(s) — The value in this cell for any listed set is blank until you click the corresponding Run link. The number of results retrieved displays after the search is done. The number is displayed as a link. Click the link to view the corresponding list of results. A button labeled Back to Edit Search Strategy displays at the top and bottom of the Results page. Click the button to return to the Edit Search Strategy page.
  Important to know — When you click a result(s) number link, you can elect to view the results with, or without first saving any changes you may have made to your strategy.
• Delete — Click the icon to delete the corresponding set from your strategy. Set numbers in the first column automatically renumber when you delete one or more sets (rows) from the table.
  Important to know — When you delete one or more sets from your strategy, you will need to adjust set references within your remaining sets, as necessary. For example, if you delete the second set of a five-set strategy, then your original sets S3, S4, and S5 are now sets S2, S3, and S4. If the search corresponding to S1 originally referenced S5, you will need to change that reference in S1 to now reference S4.

Links above the table

• Edit your entire strategy — This link is particularly useful when you want to make wholesale changes to your entire strategy at once, even pasting in an entirely new strategy. Your strategy is presented as one single text block. The sets are listed in the order that you ran them, with your final saved search listed last. You can type directly in the box to edit, subtract, or add to your strategy. These keyboard shortcuts can help:
  • Ctrl+C (copy) — Press and hold both keys to copy highlighted text to the clipboard.
  • Ctrl+V (paste) — Press and hold both keys to paste text from the clipboard at the current cursor position.
  • Ctrl+X (cut) — Press and hold both keys to remove highlighted text, copying it to the clipboard. You can then move your cursor and paste the text in a different location.

  The editing box supports the same input and commands you can use in the Command Line Search form. Refer to the Search tips and Common Field Codes topics for help and reference while editing.
  Important to know — The editor will interpret pressing Enter or Shift+Enter as a new set in your strategy. If you are entering a very long set, just keep typing and the set will wrap to a new line as necessary.

• Add search fields — Select and add search fields to the Search column cell where your cursor resides. You add the search field and then enter an associated term.
• Field codes — Open a Help topic listing available search fields.
• Thesaurus — Select from available thesauri, search or browse for terms, and add your selected terms to the Search column cell where your cursor resides. Most thesauri are database specific.
• Search tips — Open a Help topic providing tips and reference for searching in ProQuest Dialog.

Controls below the table

• Insert — Located at the lower left beneath the table, use the controls to insert one or more sets (as rows) in a specific position in your strategy.
  Important to know — When you insert one or more sets into your strategy, you will need to adjust set references within your existing sets, as necessary. For example, if you insert a new set in the second position of a five-set strategy, then your original sets S2, S3, S4, and S5 are now sets S3, S4, S5, and S6. If the search corresponding to S1 originally referenced S5, you will need to change that reference in S1 to now reference S6.

Saving your strategy

When you click Save, your strategy is saved in its current state.

• Click Continue editing to remain on the Edit Search Strategy page.
• Click Done to return to the Saved searches page.
• When you click Cancel on either the table-view or the ‘edit entire search strategy’ view, you’ll be returned to the Saved searches page, after being prompted to save if you have un-saved changes.