ComIndex is an index to the core literature of communications-related journals, covering approximately 100 English-language journal titles from 1970-2001 (there are limited entries for 2001).
To access ComIndex, go to the Start Button at the base of the screen on the computers in the RIS area. Select “Programs” and then select ComIndex.
Within ComIndex, select either ”Search All Journals” or “Search one Journal or a Group of Journals.” To search the full file, select “Search All Journals.” To search a specific title or titles, select “Search one Journal or a Group of Journals.” Highlight the preferred option and press [Enter].
“Search All Journals” goes direct to the search screen.
In “Search one Journal or a Group of Journals,” scroll through the alphabetical list of journal titles; use the [F3] (Toggle Selection) key to select a specific title or titles. After the selection of titles is made, press the [F2] (Finished) key. The search screen will appear indicating that the Search Range is a “custom set.”
SEARCHING
Options of “Search Keys” (fields) are author, title, or year. Use arrows to move from one line to another to select the preferred option, then press [Enter] to move to the Search String box. Type in the search term(s). After the search term(s) have been entered in the search box, press the [F2] key to start the search.
Author Searching
Enter the author’s last name in the Search String box. Author’s names in the entries may be listed with or without a first name, so the best search should use last name only.Title Searching
Enter keyword(s) from the title of the article in the Search String box. The search will do an automatic “and” boolean between terms. The field searches TITLE only - there are no abstracts or assigned subject headings.Year Searching
Enter the year of choice in the Search String box. The results will be ALL articles from that year, i.e., 1997.
DISPLAYING CITATIONS
A brief list of citations that match the search criteria will appear. Use the arrows to scroll through the list of citations. Press [Enter] on a highlighted citation to get the full record. Use the arrows to move from one full record to others in the list; press [Esc] to return to the brief list of entries. The full record will provide the author(s), title, and full bibliographic citation to the journal article. There are no abstracts of the articles.
LIMITING A SEARCH
To limit a completed search, press [Esc] from the list of citations to return to the search screen. Press [Enter] to get to the “Search Type” box to select a new search or limiting choice. Arrow through the options, highlight the preferred choice (i.e., Narrow existing search list), and press [Enter]. The cursor will move to the “Search Keys” choices: highlight the same choice as in the original search and press [Enter] to get to the Search String box. Type in the additional term(s) to narrow the search and press [F2] to start the search.
HELP
Press [F1] for additional help.
DOWNLOADING AND PRINTING
To print or download to disk the full list of items retrieved, press [F2] (Print) or [F5] (Print to File) from the brief list screen. For an individual record, highlight the entry from the brief list, press [Enter] for the full record, then press [F2] to print the citation or press [F5] to download the citation to a disk. After selecting to download to disk, a box will appear asking for a file name. Type a:\, name the file, and press [Enter]. To return to the list of citations, press [Esc].
EXIT
To exit the database, press [Esc] until a pop-up box asks “Are you sure you want to exit?” Press the [Y] key to exit the database.
mod 10/28/2005
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