Simple reference search
Search all fields in all references
First make sure that the search type selector is set to "Search all fields" (it is the default). Then fill in what you want to search for in the search box next to the selector, and press the closest "Go" button.
Searching by author name(s)
Select "Search by author(s)" from the search type selector. Then, in the search box, type at least the first three letters of an author's last name. Wait for a while, and click on one of the suggestions that pops under the search box, and press the closest "Go" button. If no names are shown under the search box after a few seconds, try another name or another spelling.
It is possible to manually write the query (for example "Wilson, E. O.; Billen, J.;"), but the names must exactly match the names in the database ("Wilson" or "Wilson, E." will not work), and the query has to be formatted like in the first example.
See the below section for more advanced queries.
Advanced search (using keywords)
| Search by... | Example(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| any field (no keyword) | nylanderia | Case insensitive. |
| title | title:leach | Compare: title:leach / author:leach / leach. |
| title, more than one word | title:"solenopsis invicta" | Wrap query in single or double quotes, and put in after the colon. |
| publication year | year:2009 | |
| publication year, range | year:2000-2009 | |
| author | author:wilson | Authors are indexed by last name and initials. If you cannot find what you're looking for, try removing the first name from the query. |
| author, names containing spaces | author:'De Andrade' | Wrap the name in single or double quotes, and put in after the colon. |
| author, exact match | author:"Smith, D. R." | Manually type the name(s) or start typing and click on one of the suggestions. |
| author, multiple authors | author:'Bolton, B.; Fisher, B. L.' | As above. |
| reference type | type:nomissing , type:missing , type:nested , type:unknown | Defaults to "nomissing". |
| combined keywords | author:wilson year:1970-1979 | |
| queries containing diacritics | hölldobler or holldobler | |
| journal; type the name, there's no keyword for this | zootaxa | Current workaround: if there are too many unrelated results (example: tropics), find the journal in the journals index or follow the journal link from the reference details page to see which references are linked to that journal (example: Tropics). |