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Search Tips

Case sensitivity

When writing your search words in the text box, it doesn't matter whether you use capital letters (e.g. HEROIN) or lower case (e.g. heroin).

Example: The following words are all treated the same: DRUGS drugs Drugs drUGS.

Search word order

Search words are processed from left to right unless parentheses (brackets) are used.

Boolean Operators

1. One word

   If you enter only one word, the search returns all the pages that contain the word.
   
   Examples:
   • Heroin: Returns webpages that contain the word 'heroin'.
   • Detox: Returns webpages that contain the word 'detox'.

2. More than one word

   If you enter search words in the search text box without connecting them with the word AND, OR or NOT, then the ADIN search engine treats them as being connected by the word OR. Webpages that are returned by the search may contain either one or all of the search words.
   
   Examples:
   • Heroin user: Returns webpages that contain either 'heroin' or 'user'.
   • Pregnant heroin user
     Returns webpages that contain either 'pregnant' or 'heroin' or 'user'.

3. Quotation marks (' ' and " ")

   Quotation marks (either single or double) return webpages that contain the search words or phrase exactly as you enter them.
   
   Examples:
   • "Drink-driving Laws": Returns webpages that contain the phrase 'drink-driving laws'.
   • 'Injecting Rooms' AND 'Hard Drug Use': Returns webpages that contain the phrases 'injecting rooms' and 'hard drug use'.

4. AND

   When you connect search words with AND, only webpages containing all search words will be selected
   
   Examples:
   • Heroin AND Syringes: Returns webpages that contain both words 'heroin' and 'syringes'.
   • NESB AND Interpreting AND Melbourne
     Returns webpages that contain all the words 'NESB' and 'interpreting' and 'Melbourne'.

5. OR

   When search words are connected by the word OR, the ADIN search engine will attempt to find webpages containing as many search words, and as many instances of each search word, as possible
   
   Examples:
   • Heroin or methadone: Returns webpages that contain either 'heroin' or 'methadone'.
   • Heroin or detox or rehab: Returns webpages that contain either 'heroin' or 'detox' or 'rehab'.

6. NOT

   When search words are connected by the word NOT the ADIN search engine will attempt to find as many webpages that contain the search words you do want to locate and then, from that result, the search engine will discard those webpages that contain the search words you do not want to locate
   
   Examples:
   • Drugs NOT Amphetamines: NOT excludes all webpages that contain the word 'amphetamines'.
   • Drugs NOT (Amphetamines OR Heroin OR Marijuana): NOT excludes webpages containing the words in the bracket: 'amphetamines', 'heroin' and 'marijuana'.
   • Drugs OR Heroin NOT Amphetamines: NOT excludes all webpages that contain the word 'amphetamines' but includes all webpages that contain the words 'drugs' and 'heroin'.

7. Parentheses ( )

   Use parentheses for groups of words and phrases that you want the search engine to look at before other parts of your search. Search words and connecting operators like AND and OR that are entered in parentheses are handled first, then combined with any other search words outside the parentheses.
   
   Examples:
   • Heroin OR Amphetamines (Detox AND Withdrawal)
     The search engine first finds websites with the words 'detox' and 'withdrawal' and then returns only those websites that also have the word 'heroin' or the word 'amphetamines'.
   • 'Drug Use' NOT ('Soft Drugs' OR 'Recreational Drugs')
     First excludes websites with the words 'soft drugs' and 'recreational drugs' and then returns those websites that have the words 'drug use'.

8. Asterisk ( * )

   Use an asterisk after a word stem to match webpages containing words that have this stem but which have different endings (suffixes). You may find that some unwanted search words are included in your search results.
   
   Examples:
9. • Drug*
     Returns all the webpages that contain the letters 'drug' in a word, such as 'drug', 'drugged', 'drug-using', 'drug-related', 'drug-induced' and 'druggist'.
   • 'Prescri* Drug*'
     Returns all the webpages that contain a phrase with two words that contain the letters 'prescri' in a word, such as 'prescribed' or 'prescription' and also the letters 'drug' in a word, such as 'drug', 'drugs', 'drug-using', 'drug-related', 'drug-induced' and 'druggist'.

Combinations of Boolean Operators

Sophisticated search strings can be assembled using the Boolean Operators in combination with one another. Additionally, the search strings can be used with the textboxes and the drop-down menu Website Location.

1. An example of combinations of Boolean Operators in a text box:

Rural OR Remote OR "Regional Areas"

• These search terms return webpages with either of the words 'rural' or 'remote', or the phrase 'regional areas'.

OR (Isolated AND Areas)

• These search terms return webpages with both words 'isolated' and 'areas'.

NOT (Metropolitan OR Urban OR City)

• These search terms exclude webpages with the words 'metropolitan' or 'urban' or 'city'.

1. An example of combinations of Boolean operators in a text box plus the use of checkboxes and the drop-down menu:

NOT (Metropolitan OR Urban OR City)
Website Location: Vic
OR (Isolated AND Areas) 'Heroin' checkbox
(Rural OR Remote OR "Regional Areas")

• The first set of terms excludes webpages with the words 'metropolitan' or 'urban' or 'city'.
• The second set of terms excludes webpages that are not Victorian.
• The third set of terms returns webpages with both words 'isolated' and 'areas' that include the words 'heroin' or 'shooting up' or 'junkie' or 'shooting gallery' or 'opioid*'.
• The final set of terms returns webpages with either of the words 'rural' or 'remote', or the phrase 'regional areas' that also include the words 'heroin' or 'shooting up' or 'junkie' or 'shooting gallery' or 'opioid*'.