The Basics of ASQ Search

To enter a query, type in a few descriptive words and press Enter (or click the Search button) for a list of relevant web pages. Since ASQ Search only returns web pages that contain all the words in your query, refining or narrowing your search is as simple as adding more words to the search terms you have already entered. Your new query will return a smaller subset of the pages ASQ Search found for your original query.

Choosing Keywords

For best results, it's important to choose your keywords wisely. Keep these tips in mind:

• Try the obvious first. If you're looking for information on Pareto charts, enter "Pareto charts" rather than "quality tools."
• Use words likely to appear on a site with the information you want. "Continuous improvement" will get better results than "ways to make processes better."
• Make keywords as specific as possible. "Six Sigma Black Belt Certification" will get more relevant results than "professional certifications."

Automatic "and" Queries

By default, ASQ Search only returns pages that include all of your search terms. There is no need to include "and" between terms. Keep in mind that the order in which the terms are typed will affect the search results. To restrict a search further, just include more terms. For example, to learn about the Baldrige Award in the healthcare industry, simply type:

Automatic Exclusion of Common Words

ASQ Search ignores common words and characters such as "where" and "how," as well as certain single digits and single letters, because they tend to slow down your search without improving the results. ASQ Search will indicate if a common word has been excluded by displaying details on the results page below the search box.

If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include it by putting a "+" sign in front of it. (Don't leave a space between the "+" sign and your search term, but be sure to include a space before the "+" sign.)

You can also perform a phrase search, which means putting quotation marks around two or more words. Common words in a phrase search (e.g., "where are you") are included in the search.

For example, to search for a type I error, use:

~ OR ~

Capitalization

ASQ Search searches are NOT case-sensitive. All letters, regardless of how you type them, will be understood as lower case. For example, searches for "w. edwards deming", "W. Edwards Deming", and "W. EdWaRdS dEmInG" will all return the same results.

Word Variations (Stemming)

To provide the most accurate results, ASQ Search does not use "stemming" or support "wildcard" searches. In other words, ASQ Search searches for exactly the words that you enter in the search box. Searching for "book" or "book*" will not yield "books" or "bookstore". If in doubt, try both forms: "standard" and "standards," for instance.