Using the advanced BELIT search mask

You can search for literature in BELIT using various criteria. If you click on the arrow on the right edge of one of the left boxes in the search mask, you will get a selection of search criteria. Once you have selected a search criterion, you can enter your search term(s) in the field next to it. You can get special help on the individual search criteria by clicking on the corresponding topic in the "Help" box.

You can combine the different search criteria either with "and" or with "or", as well as define your search more precisely with the help of the further restrictions.

The search results are first displayed in a short title list, which contains the most important information about each title. Afterwards, you can also have the titles listed in full format. You can navigate within the list using the arrows. In full format, the right margin shows you in which library each title is available. Each library is listed with a name abbreviation; you can find the resolutions on the entry page.

In the short title list, you have the option of marking entries that are of particular interest to you by checking the boxes in front of the titles. A collection is automatically created from this, even if you continue to browse through the result. You can display your collection clearly on one page in full format at any time.

Release Year(s)

This search criterion can be used to restrict a search query entered in the upper area of the search mask (e.g. for a person or for title keywords). However, you can also search for only a year of publication or for specific time periods.

Examples:
1999
1995-1997
1994, 1996-1997
1994, 1996-1997, 2000

Publication Location

This search criterion can be used to limit a search query entered in the upper area of the search mask. However, you can also search for only a place of publication.

Please note that if more than one place of publication is given in the book, often only the first named one is searchable. In the case of foreign literature, the place of publication should generally be searched in the original language.

Abbreviating the place name with * is possible.

Examples:
Heidelberg
Stra* results: Straßburg, Strasbourg etc.

ISBN

The ISBN is a ten- or thirteen-digit combination of numbers that uniquely identifies an independent document, i.e. a monograph. It is divided by hyphens.

You can also search for DOIs (Document Object Identifier) in this category.

Examples:
3-05-002436-4
3-404-60133-5
978-3-642-19794-9
10.1186/gm262

When searching for an ISBN, you do not have to enter the hyphens.

You can abbreviate an ISBN or DOI with the * when searching.

Examples:
305*
3404601*
9873*
10.10*

ISSN

The ISSN is a number used to uniquely identify a journal or series. It consists of two groups of four-digit numbers separated by a hyphen.

Examples:
0269-2163
0959-8146

When searching for an ISSN, you do not need to enter the hyphen.

You can abbreviate an ISSN in the search by using the *.

Examples:
026*
02699*
0959*

Conference

You can enter one or more search terms separated by spaces. Multiple words in the search field are automatically linked with "and". It is not necessary to enter the entire name of the conference; the most meaningful keywords are sufficient.

You can also search by conference location and year. Please note that the conference location often has to be searched in the original language of the country where the conference took place.

Often there are several different name forms of a conference. Therefore it is often convenient to abbreviate the search terms with * to include different spellings, singular/plural, genitive forms etc. in the search.

Examples:
symposium bio*  
stra?b* results: Straßburg, Strasbourg

Corporate Bodies

Corporate bodies refers to institutions such as research institutes, associations, organizations, authorities, etc.

You can enter one or more search terms separated by spaces. Several words in the search field are automatically linked with "and". It is not necessary to enter the entire name of the corporation, but only the most meaningful parts of the name.

Please note that there are often several different forms of a corporation name.

Corporate names are often entered in the catalog in different ways. To obtain the most complete search results, it is best to conduct a search for a meaningful keyword or keywords of the corporation with the search criterion "Everywhere".

It may be advisable to abbreviate the search terms with * in order to include deviating spellings, singular/plural, genitive forms, etc. in the search.

Examples:
ethik wissenschaft*  results: Institut für Wissenschaft und Ethik; Zentrum für Ethik in den Wissenschaften, Institut Mensch, Ethik und Wissenschaft
gesellschaft philosophie  

Person

The search criterion Person includes authors, editors and other persons involved, such as editors or staff.

You can enter one or more search terms separated by spaces. All search terms are searched in all parts of the name (last name, first name) and automatically linked with "and".

It is usually sufficient to enter the last name of a person. For further restriction, e.g. with very frequent names, you can additionally enter the first name, whereby the order does not matter. If you are unsure about the spelling of a first or last name, use wildcards in the middle or at the end. A * replaces zero or any number of characters, a ? replaces exactly one letter.

Examples:
winter results: Winter, Gerd; Winter, Stefan; etc.
schmidt stef* results: Schmidt, Steffen; Schmidt-Troschke, Stefan; etc.
mur* results: Murray, Murphy, Murken etc.
m?ier results: Meier and Maier
aristoteles results: Aristoteles

Source/Newspaper

This search criterion contains information about the publication from which an article or essay originates, e.g. a journal title or the title of an anthology.

You can enter one or more search terms separated by spaces. Multiple words in the search field are automatically linked with "and".

It may be advisable to abbreviate the search terms with * to include variant spellings, singular/plural, genitive forms, etc. in the search.

Examples:
zeit results: all articles in Der Zeit, Stimmen der Zeit, etc.
archiv rechts* finds e.g.: "Archiv für Rechts- und Sozialphilosophie"

Series

You can enter one or more search terms separated by spaces. Several words in the search field are automatically linked with "and". It is not necessary to enter the entire series or journal title, but only the most meaningful keywords. It may be advisable to abbreviate the search terms with * to include different spellings, singular/plural, genitive forms, etc. in the search.

Examples:
gentechnologie 30  
utb wissenschaft  
drucksache results e.g.: Drucksache / Deutscher Bundestag

Keywords

Keywords reflect the content of a book or article. They do not have to appear in the title.

If you enter at least two letters in the search field "keyword", you will receive a suggestion list of actually used keywords from our thesaurus. If you click on the matching term, it will be transferred to the search field. The more letters you enter, the more precise the suggestion list becomes. You will also be guided by synonyms to the existing keyword.
Entering gn generates the suggestion Gnadentod→Sterbehilfe. If you click on this, the keyword actually used, "euthanasia," is transferred to the search field.

You can also enter several keywords in succession. For each new entry, you will get a new suggestion list. Several keywords separated by quotation marks and spaces are automatically linked with "and".

With the keywords "assisted suicide" "physician" "Germany" you will find all literature that deals with assisted suicide by physicians in Germany.

If you search with a keyword, the search will automatically expand to the subordinate keywords.

"Euthanasia" will also find "Active euthanasia", "Assisted suicide", "Indirect euthanasia" and "Assisted suicide".
If you want to narrow the search to the desired keyword only, click the "Limit search to keywords" link at the top of the results list.

If, on the other hand, you want to narrow your search from the more general keyword to a more precise subordinate keyword or select a more suitable related one for your query, you can use the "Search the online thesaurus" box on the right-hand menu bar and search for suitable keywords there.

If you enter a term there, you will get an overview of the superordinate, subordinate and related keywords, with word explanations and usage notes. Euthanasia thus also leads, for example, to "euthanasia law", "abortion", "refusal of treatment [physician]", "refusal of treatment [patient]", "refusal of treatment", "quality of life", "prolongation of life", "legalization", "medical ethics", "living will", "punishable act".

You can also search several compound keywords with the same initial word at the same time by using * as a wildcard.
Health* finds keywords such as "health policy", "health reform", "health protection", "health care", "health care", "health care costs", "government health care". However, if you want to combine the search with another keyword, you must use a new search field for the next keyword, e.g. "Germany", when using a wildcard.

Title

You can enter one or more search terms separated by spaces. The title records will be found in the catalog whose title and subtitle contain the entered term or, if more than one, all the entered terms.
Note that the words must appear in the title of a record in the spelling in which you entered them for the search to be successful. It may therefore be advisable to abbreviate the search terms with * in order to include different spellings, singular/plural, genitive forms, etc. in the search.

Examples:
human genome   
bioethi* results: Bioethik, bioethics, bioethisch, bioethical, Bioethik-Konvention etc.
kommission results: Kommission, Ethik-Kommission, EU-Kommission, Enquête-Kommission etc.
"bioethics network" results e.g.: The Florida Bioethics Network 
"gene and" results: Gene and Genome, Gene and Cancer, Gene and Cloning etc.

General Notes

You can enter one or more search terms separated by spaces. These are automatically linked with "and", i.e. the title records are found in the catalog that contain the entered term or, in the case of several, all entered terms. It does not matter where in the title set the term appears. All entered terms are automatically right-truncated.

Thus a free text search is already a kind of thematic search. It is also useful if a search for a search term with a more specific search criterion (e.g. person or title) was unsuccessful.

Examples:
sloterdijk results: Title records in which Sloterdijk is listed as author, in the subject title, or as a person keyword, etc.
unesco results: Title records in which UNESCO appears as a corporate body, in the subject title, in the title suffix, in the source, etc.

Publisher

This search criterion can be used to restrict a search query entered in the upper area of the search mask. However, you can also search for only one publisher.

Please note that if a book is published by several publishers, often only the first named one can be searched. If a publishing house name consists of the name of the founder, often only the family name is given. Sometimes other publishing names are abbreviated.

You can abbreviate a publisher's name in the search using * to include different forms of the name or abbreviated entries.

Examples:
Springer
Beck
Wiss* Verlagsges*