| Search Type | Strategies | Examples |
| Basic Search | Enter single search term | earthquake |
| Specific search | Enter two of more search terms | earthquake midwest |
| Phrase search | Place quotes around phrases | "new madrid fault" |
| Combination search | Enter two or more search terms and/or phrases in quotes | earthquake "new madrid fault" |
Author search |
Enter last name and first name, without quotes | rosen jeffrey |
| Title search | Enter known title in quotes | "power of one" |
| Articles within a specific periodical title | Enter title of periodical, in quotes, and search term(s) | "new england journal of medicine" fractures |
| Truncation | Place an asterisk at the desired point in the root word | measur* |