Search tips

Having trouble finding information? The following information may help.

To enter a query in the search engine, just type in one or a few descriptive words and click on the 'Search' button (or hit the 'Enter' key) on the website for a list of relevant web pages. Choosing the right search terms is the key to finding the information you need, but understanding the following features of the search engine will help you

• Searches are not case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how you type them, will be understood as lower case. For example, searches for 'stress', 'Stress' and 'StReSs' will return the same results.
  
  
• The keyword search supports 'wildcard' searches using an asterisk Eg. searching for disabl* will display results including “disabled” and “disability”. Use this search if you are not sure which variation of a keyword is in use.
  
  
• Excluding terms from results. If your search term has more than one meaning (bass, for example, could refer to fishing or music) you can focus your search by putting the word 'not' in front of words related to the meaning you want to avoid. (Using a '-' sign is acceptable but the search engine will replace it with the word 'not').
  
  
• Terms which MUST appear in the results. If a word is essential to getting the results you want, put the word 'and' or a '+' sign in front of it (be sure to include a space before the '+' sign.) eg 'bass and guitar' or 'bass +guitar' would return only results which included both those words.
  
  
• Don't use common words such as 'where'. 'how' and 'the'. If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include it by putting the word 'and' or a '+' sign in front of it or by using a phrase search.
  
  
• To find an exact phrase rather than all instances of any of the words, include the phrase in quote marks eg “rural and regional areas” This will only give results containing that exact phrase, whereas using the terms 'rural', 'regional' and 'areas' will give you all pages containing any of these terms.
  
  
• The Site map (link also found at the bottom of all pages), provides a overview of the information structure of the whole website. You are able to click into any of the areas from there.
  
  
• Spelling: One of the easiest mistakes to make when searching for information is to misspell your query. If you get few or bad results, check to make sure you've spelled everything correctly, or try alternate ways of spelling your words (e.g. color vs. colour or center vs. centre).
  
  
• Synonyms: Sometimes using different words or more common terms that mean the same thing can greatly improve your results. For instance, you may be more successful using the keyword "TV" rather than "television" or "tired" rather than "fatigued".
  
  
• If you are still having trouble, please call the Member Service Centre on 1300 137 636 between 8am and 8pm EST or email members@cpsu.org.au