Report:EBSCOhost/Search History Interface/Managing Search Histories
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Managing Search Histories
EBSCOhost automatically retains all search history until logout, at which time unsaved searches are deleted. However, it is possible to save individual queries to a “Saved Searches” folder from the “Search History/Alerts” section of the results list.
When saving a search, the user is prompted to give it a custom name (title) and descriptive entry. Rather than recording the original databases in which the search was executed, the system allows users to choose which databases to include in the saved search record. All saved searches are tagged with the date the search was originally run, as well as the interface that was used to conduct the search.
The figure below shows the dialog used to specify parameters for saving the search. Note that searches can be saved either permanently, or for only 24 hours. Searches cannot be saved without first being executed.
From the saved search interface, only the custom name is visible; the search must be retrieved to view the actual search syntax. No results are stored, so to view the results, the search must be run again. The figure below shows the saved search interface.
From this interface, the searches can be moved to a user-created Custom Folder. These folders can be used to contain various items, such as saved results and saved searches, in order to group related items together. For more information, see the Saving Results section of this article.
Finally, a persistent link to the search is created whenever a search is saved. When clicked, the persistent link will allow anybody with login information for EBSCOhost to run the exact same search.
Editing and Stacking Saved Queries
Saved searches can be retrieved, altered and rerun, or combined with previous searches using the operators AND and OR. Choosing the “Revise Search” option reproduces the original search string in the Advanced Search interface where any desired changes can be made. Altered queries are rerun as new searches, and can be saved through the same process. Stacking or combining searches is accomplished by checking a box next to two or more searches and then clicking the “Search with AND” or “Search with OR” button, or through the command line by entering a search string identification number (“S” followed by a digit), an operator, and ID number. There is no limit to how many searches can be combined. Unsaved searches can be combined from the “Search History” interface.
