Step by step examples of searches

Example 1

Aim:

To find the summary description of the family benefits scheme in Australia.
 
1. Click on the Query button on the left hand side of the screen; the list of search forms will be displayed.
 
2. Click on Scheme Description in the list; the search form for the Scheme Description database will be displayed.
 
3. Click on the down arrow at the end of the Country box until you reach "Australia". Click on "Australia".
 
4. Click on the down arrow at the end of the Branch box until you reach "Family". Click on "Family".
 
5. If you wish to know the information valid in a particular year, click on this year in the Year box. Alternatively, to find the most recent information leave the Year box blank.
 
6. Click on Search. The total number of hits will be displayed in the bottom right of the screen in the "Hitlist" window. If the "Year" box was left blank, the hits will include all information about Family Allowances in Australia. The most recent information will be displayed first. The date of the validity of the information is shown at the end of each piece of text (e.g. Last update: 1.7.2002).
 
7. The text of the information may be displayed by either:
 
- Clicking on the Next Hit button on the left of the screen. Each hit will be displayed in turn.
OR
- Clicking on the "Title" of the hit in the "Hit List" window.
 
NB: If you wish to print a single hit, click in the "Document" window where the text is displayed, then click on Print in the browser functions at the top of the screen. If you wish to print all the hits displayed in the "Hitlist" window at any one time, click on Print in the blue bar in the "Hit List" window. Wait until the bar at the bottom of the browser shows "Done" then click on Print in the browser functions at the top of the screen.
 
 

Example 2
 

Aim:

To find out if there have been any changes to family benefits in Australia since the 2002 summary description.
 
1. Click on the Query button on the left hand side of the screen; the list of search forms will be displayed.
 
2. Click on Reforms in the list; the search form for the Reforms database will be displayed.
 
3. Click on the down arrow at the end of the Country box until you reach "Australia". Click on "Australia".
 
4. Click on the down arrow at the end of the Branch box until you reach "Family". Click on "Family".
 
5. Click on the first year shown in the Year box. Hold down the shift key, click on the down arrow at the end of the Year box and highlight all years until the year in which the description of the scheme was last updated - for Australia this is 2002. The year used in the Reforms database is the year of implementation. Therefore, by highlighting future years you will also find reforms that have been proposed but which will not be implemented until a future date. Details such as the source of the information, any reference documents where more information may be found, the date of publication, legislation and implementation of the reform are shown at the end of the text.
 
6. Click on Search. The total number of hits will be displayed in the bottom right of the screen in the "Hitlist" window.
 
7. The text of the information may be displayed by either:
 
- Clicking on the Next Hit button on the left of the screen. Each hit will be displayed in turn.
 

OR

- Clicking on the "Title" of the hit in the "Hit List" window.
 
NB: If you wish to print a single hit, click in the "Document" window where the text is displayed, then click on Print in the browser functions at the top of the screen. If you wish to print all the hits displayed in the "Hitlist" window at any one time, click on Print in the blue bar in the "Hit List" window. Wait until the bar at the bottom of the browser shows "Done" then click on Print in the browser functions at the top of the screen.
 
 

Example 3
 
Aim: To find all information on eligibility for maternity benefits in Eastern Europe.
 
1. Click on the Query all databases button on the left hand side of the screen; the search form that allows all five databases to be searched simultaneously will be displayed.
 
2. Click in the box next to each database you want to search.
 
3. Click on the down arrow at the end of the Region box until you reach "Eastern Europe". Click on "Eastern Europe".
 
4. Click on the down arrow at the end of the Branch box until you reach "Maternity". Click on "Maternity".
 
5. Click on the down arrow at the end of the Category box until you reach "Eligibility". Click on "Eligibility".
 
6. If you wish to have the information only for a particular year, click on that year in the Year box. Alternatively, to find all information leave the Year box blank.
 
7. Click on Search. The total number of hits in each database will be shown in the Results page. Click on the first database you wish to view. The hits in that database will be displayed in the bottom right of the screen in the "Hitlist" window and the first hit will be displayed in the "Document" window. To view the hits in the other databases return to the Results page by clicking Back in the browser functions at the top of the screen. You may have to click Back many times to return to the Results page. Alternatively, repeat the search and enter the next database you wish to view.
 
8. The text of the information may be displayed by either:
 
- Clicking on the Next Hit button on the left of the screen. Each hit will be displayed in turn.
OR
 - Clicking on the "Title" of the hit in the "Hit List" window.
 
NB: If you wish to print a single hit, click in the "Document" window where the text is displayed, then click on Print in the browser functions at the top of the screen. If you wish to print all the hits displayed in the "Hitlist" window at any one time, click on Print in the blue bar in the "Hit List" window. Wait until the bar at the bottom of the browser shows "Done" then click on Print in the browser functions at the top of the screen.
 
 
Example 4
 
Aim: To find out what benefits are available under the social security and complementary pension systems in the United Kingdom.
 
1. Click on the Query all databases button on the left hand side of the screen; the search form that allows all five databases to be searched simultaneously will be displayed.
 
2.  Click in the box next to Reforms, Scheme Description and Complementary and Private Pensions.
 
3. Click in the Country box, enter "U", then click on the down arrow at the end of the box until you reach "United Kingdom". Click on "United Kingdom".
 
4. Click in the Branch box. Hold down the control key, click on the down arrow at the end of the box and click in turn on "Disability", "Old age" and Survivors".
 
5. Click on the down arrow at the end of the Category box until you reach "Benefits". Click on "Benefits".
 
6. Click in the Year box, hold down the shift key and highlight from the first year shown until 2001.
 
7. Click on Search. The total number of hits in each database will be shown in the Results page. Click on the first database you wish to view. The hits in that database will be displayed in the bottom right of the screen in the "Hitlist" window and the first hit will be displayed in the "Document" window. To view the hits in the other databases return to the Results page by clicking Back in the browser functions at the top of the screen. You may have to click Back many times to return to the Results page. Alternatively, repeat the search and enter the next database you wish to view.
 
8.  The text of the information may be displayed by either:
 
- Clicking on the Next Hit button on the left of the screen. Each hit will be displayed in turn.
OR 
- Clicking on the "Title" of the hit in the "Hit List" window.
 
NB: If you wish to print a single hit, click in the "Document" window where the text is displayed, then click on Print in the browser functions at the top of the screen. If you wish to print all the hits displayed in the "Hitlist" window at any one time, click on Print in the blue bar in the "Hit List" window. Wait until the bar at the bottom of the browser shows "Done" then click on Print in the browser functions at the top of the screen.
 
 
Example 5
 
Aim: What recent books or articles in periodicals have been published concerning early retirement in Switzerland?
 
1. Click on the Query button on the left hand side of the screen; the list of search forms will be displayed.
 
2. Click on Bibliography in the list; the search form for the Bibliography database will be displayed.
 
3. Click in the Country box, enter "S" then click on the down arrow at the end of the box until you reach "Switzerland". Click on "Switzerland".
 
4. Click on the down arrow at the end of the Branch box until you reach "old age risk". Click on "old age risk".
 
5. Click in the Subject box, enter "E" then click on the down arrow at the end of the box until you reach "early retirement" (example 6 shows how to use the Thesaurus to find appropriate key words). Click on "early retirement".
 
6. If you wish to restrict the search to one language, click in the Language of text box, then enter the first letter of the language you wish the text to be in, then click on the down arrow at the end of the box until you reach the desired language (e.g. English). If you wish to include more than one language in the search, hold down the control key and click on each desired language. If you wish to have documents in any language leave the Language of text box blank.
 
7. If you wish to restrict the search to the most recent information, click in the Year box. Click on the down arrow at the end of the box until the current year is shown. Hold down the shift key and highlight from the current year until the earliest year you wish to include in the search. If you wish to have all documents available no matter when published, leave the Year box blank.
 
8. Click on Search. The total number of hits will be displayed in the bottom right of the screen in the "Hitlist" window. If the "Year" box was left blank, the hits will include all information about early retirement in Switzerland.
 
9. The text of the information may be displayed by either:
 
  - Clicking on the Next Hit button on the left of the screen. Each hit will be displayed in turn.
OR   
- Clicking on the "Title" of the hit in the "Hit List" window.
 
NB: If you wish to print a single hit, click in the "Document" window where the text is displayed, then click on Print in the browser functions at the top of the screen. If you wish to print all the hits displayed in the "Hitlist" window at any one time, click on Print in the blue bar in the "Hit List" window. Wait until the bar at the bottom of the browser shows "Done" then click on Print in the browser functions at the top of the screen.
 
 
Example 6
 
Aim: To find all key words relevant to pension or retirement issues in order to make more detailed searches for bibliographic or legislative references.
 
1. Click on the Query button on the left hand side of the screen; the list of search forms will be displayed.
 
2. Click on Thesaurus in the list; the search form for the Thesaurus database will be displayed.
 
3. Type in pension* or retir* (* is a wild card and will find any letter or letters) in the Free text box.
 
4. Click on Search. All key words that have any connection with pensions or retirement issues will be found.
 
5. The text of the information may be displayed by either:
 
- Clicking on the Next Hit button on the left of the screen. Each hit will be displayed in turn.
OR   
- Clicking on the "Title" of the hit in the "Hit List" window.
 
You can then choose the most appropriate key words to your particular area of search.
 
To Note:
 

More than one item in any box in any database query form can be selected by holding down the control key and then clicking on the desired item. Similarly all consecutive items in a list in any box in any database query form can be included in a search by holding down the shift key and highlighting the desired items.
 

A Free text search can be dome in all database query forms either separately or in combination with the field boxes provided.
 

The Boolean operator between each of the field boxes in each database query forms is "and" except in the ISSA/IOPS/OECD Complementary and Private Pensions form which uses "or". Example, if in the Scheme Description Query form Africa is selected in the Region box, Algeria in the Country box, Old age in the Branch box and Benefits in the Category box the results will only include text concerning old-age benefits in Algeria. However, if the rest of the criteria selected remains the same but Algeria is not selected the results will include text concerning old-age benefits in any country in Africa. The operator between multiple items in the same box is "or". Example, if both Algeria and Botswana are selected in the Country box the results will include information on both countries. The operators may be changed by performing a search using the standard form, then copying and pasting the search criteria (found in the "Hitlist" window after the text "Search performed:") into the Free text box and manually altering the operator(s) as necessary e.g. change "and" to "or".
 
More information about the structure of each of the databases and the syntax that may be used in advanced searches is contained in the manual which may be consulted by using the Help button at the far left of the screen.
 

The above examples are intended to show how information may be obtained from the databases by using the search facility. The information contained in the databases may equally also be found by browsing the Table of Contents of each database. In the "Contents" window click on the text SSW (English version) to display the list of databases. Click on the relevant folders (denoted by ) until the desired text (denoted by ) is reached. Click on the desired heading in the Contents window to display the text of the document in the "Document" window.
                                             
                              
For further information about the access to these databases please contact the following address:
E-mail: issadoc@ilo.org