Help Searching SPSP and Social Psychology Network

Here's a step-by-step guide on searching:

Step:		Example:
1.	In the search field, type some words that are likely to be found only in the web pages you seek.	stanford psychology department social
2.	Enclose any phrases in quotation marks (otherwise, each word will be searched separately).	stanford "psychology department" social
3.	Capitalize any proper names.	Stanford "psychology department" social
4.	Place a plus sign (+) in front of required terms (e.g., +"term 1" +"term 2" is equivalent to "term 1" AND "term 2").	+Stanford +"psychology department" +social
5.	Use a minus sign (-) to eliminate any undesired terms from the search.	+Stanford +"psychology department" +social -vita
6.	Click the gray "Search" button to get your results.

Additional Tips on Searching

If you are using a plus (+) or minus (-) search operator, note that there is a space before the operator, but no space between the operator and the search term.
If you get too many results:
- Be sure that all phrases are enclosed in quotation marks
- Add an unusual word or phrase that is specific to the searched topic
- Capitalize titles, names, and other proper nouns when appropriate
- Use a plus sign (+) to require that a term is included
- Use a minus sign (-) to exclude undesired terms
If you get too few results:
- Check your spelling to rule out typographical errors
- Add more search terms (e.g., Zimbardo in the example above)
- Add synonyms or alternate spellings (e.g., Phil Philip Phillip)
- Use lowercase search terms (if a query is all in lowercase, case is ignored)
If, after trying to increase the output of a search, you still get too few results, click on "Search entire Web" link on the output page and click the gray "Search" button once the page reloads.

How the Search Engine Works

Each week a fresh database is compiled from the text of all pages listed in SPSP's web site and Social Psychology Network. When you type in a search term, a customized Infoseek search engine reads through the compiled text of all linked pages and locates any web pages on which the desired term appears. This way, you are assured of high-quality search results even when the content of linked web pages changes over time.