Using Comparison Operators

Comparison Operators

The "comparison operators" are used to indicate how the search term relates to the chosen field in that search line. For example, if you have a search line that looks like this:  

You will be searching for references where the Title (the search field) contains (the comparison operator) dinosaur (the search term).

The comparison operators function as follows:

• Contains: finds all references where the search field includes the search term. The search term includes both left and right truncation, so a search for "house" would find "house," "greenhouse," and "household" anywhere in the field. If you want to limit the search specifically to the word "house," check the Match Words box on the Search dialog.

Note: Only the "Contains" comparison operator is available when searching online databases. The following operators are available for searching the EndNote library. Please note that some operators may not work together with some options selected from the Field list.

• Is: finds all references in which the entire content of the search field is exactly the same as the search term.
  
  Note: This operator does not work in searches where you select the "Any Field + PDF with Notes" option from the Field list.

• Is Less Than: finds all references in which the search term is less than the contents of the search field.

• Is Less Than or Equal To: finds all references in which the search term is less than or identical to the contents of the search field.

• Is Greater Than: finds all references in which the search term is greater than the contents of the search field.

• Is Greater Than or Equal To: finds all references in which the search term is greater than or identical to the contents of the search field.

Note: For all of the "Greater Than" and "Less Than" comparisons, the comparison is either numerical or alphabetical based on the nature of the term. When the fields have both numbers and letters, numbers are considered "less than" letters, and empty fields are ignored.

• Field Begins With: finds all references in which the search term is found at the beginning of the selected field (also referred to as right field truncation). The search term can be a partial word, a full word, or several words, and will be compared to the initial text in the field. If you enter more than a single word, remember that punctuation and spaces are significant, so you must enter exactly what is found in the reference. If you do not want to match partial words, check the Match Words box.
  
  Note: This operator does not work in searches where you select the "Any Field + PDF with Notes" option from the Field list.

• Field Ends With: finds all references in which the search term is found at the end of the field (also referred to as left field truncation). The search term can be a partial word, a full word, or several words, and will be compared to the ending text in the field. If you enter more than a single word, remember that punctuation and spaces are significant, so you must enter exactly what is found at the end of the field. If you do not want to match partial words, check the Match Words box.
  
  Note: This operator does not work in searches where you select the "Any Field + PDF with Notes" option from the Field list.

• Word Begins With: finds all references in which the search term is found at the beginning of a word anywhere in the field (also referred to as right word truncation). Punctuation and spaces are ignored. This can help you find words that start with the same root. For example, searching for a word that begins with "land," would also find "landing" and "landfill," but not "Iceland" or "island."

Note: The "Field begins with," "Field ends with," and "Word begins with" comparisons all treat Author fields like any other field. There is no manipulation of surnames and first names; EndNote looks at the literal string of text in the field.

Examples of Comparison Operators in Searches