Building a Search String

Tip: Search terms entered in one box are automatically interpreted as if they were a phrase; if you want to search for the terms independently, please separate your terms using the AND Connector. For example, if you enter the terms Bell and telephone as Bell telephone within a single box, your search will only return results where the two words appear together (Bell telephone), which would exclude results indexed to Bell operating companies.

ProQuest^® Congressional allows you to create complex search strings, which in turn can significantly improve your search results. Keep in mind that the more precisely your search string expresses what you're looking for, the more likely the results will meet your research needs.

To assist you in learning to build effective search strings, we've provided the following topics on the subject:

How do I create a search that combines several concepts?

Finding Proper Names

Finding Variations of a Word

For a detailed explanation of search string connectors, see Using Search Connectors and Commands.

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Building a Search String