The "+" sign can help you limit the size of your results. By placing "+" signs before words, your search returns exact matches on those words only, rather than variant forms and related words along with exact matches. For example, +AIDS gives you results with just this exact word or acronym, as opposed to the subject first aid or the song title Love Come to My Aid.

To search for an exact phrase, enclose the phrase in quotation marks, for example, "Light in August".

Use the conjunction AND to get results that contain all of the words you've typed in your search field, for example, modern AND fiction. Note that typing just modern fiction will give you the same results. The search engine automatically inserts AND between words.

Use the conjunction OR for results containing either word that you've typed in your search field, for example, fundamentalists OR evangelicals.

Use the word NOT for results that exclude any word that follows it, for example, ultrasound NOT neonatal.

Using uppercase or lowercase spellings (AND, or) - or a mixture of both (NoT) - has no effect on your results.

RedLightGreen's search engine automatically anticipates all variations of words that you type, unless you use quotation marks around your search terms or type the "+" sign before your terms. For example, a search on bicycling also gives you bicycle and bicycles in your results.

For more focused results, use one or more of these advanced search options:

— by Index category:

1. Select an index category from the drop-down list. For example, select Author.

2. Then enter the search word or words in the adjacent field. For example, enter Matsumoto.

3. Click Go!

— by choice of Language: Select one or keep All Languages as your default.

The display of blue stars under each result gives you a quick guide to determine how pertinent a specific title may be to your research.

Stars next to Relevance indicate that we've successfully matched your search terms against criteria established by RedLightGreen's search engine. The more stars awarded to a specific title, the more likely it relates to your topic in a meaningful way.

Stars next to Widely Held indicate that a number of academic libraries have a copy of the title. The more stars awarded to a title in this case, the wider its availability. A title chosen by many of the world's most trusted research libraries will likely have high academic value and meet the research standards expected among university professors.

Learn more about RedLightGreen's data mining technology here.

To the left of your Results display are lists of links under subjects, authors, and languages. Select any one of these to narrow your search results accordingly. The best results rise to the top of each list. When results are few, the search engine lists the links alphabetically.

You may see links to related subjects to the left of a specific title display. These lead to completely new result lists that may be of special interest to you or enhance your understanding of a particular topic-perhaps even triggering a new direction of study. This list of links is a composite of all related subjects from different editions of the same title.

You may need to find a particular edition of a title-e.g., the 1952 Modern Library edition of Franz Kafka's Selected Short Stories, or the 2003 Cambridge University Press edition of Troilus and Cressida. The Edition List shows all known editions: English language versions first, then all languages by most recent date of publication. If available, edition notes are included as well. Just select a specific edition for more details.

Register to open a RedLightGreen account and benefit even more. Here's what you gain:

— the ability to e-mail and print a citation

— preference settings:

1. your choice of library where you'd like RedLightGreen to find a specific title

2. your default citation style

To the left of your Results display are links under subjects, authors, and languages. Select one of these to narrow your search results. The best links rise to the top of each category. When results are few, the search engine lists the links alphabetically.

This feature allows you to locate the particular title you're looking for at any number of local libraries. Click the link in the green box to the right of the title.

To check availability, RedLightGreen will connect you directly to a library's Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC).

You can set your library preference during registration, or when you've examined the details of a specific title for the first time and want to follow up on its availability.

To look for the same title elsewhere, or change your library preference from the details display, simply click the Other libraries link beneath the default location.

As a registered user RedLightGreen gives you access to citation formatting.

Just choose the best style for your research purposes, and RedLightGreen creates an on-the-fly citation automatically.

Note: With so much variety to the kinds of resource materials you may need to cite (e.g., works online, reprinted, in translation, with multiple editors, etc.), please make sure to check your chosen style guide for complete accuracy-down to the last comma!

As a registered user, RedLightGreen gives you the ability to e-mail a citation to yourself or others. Whether you're collaborating with a group to do research or working alone, you will find this e-mail feature to be a big advantage.

From the title display, you have the option to check additional online resources. Some of the related links you may see include online booksellers, ebook sites, and Web-based educational resources.

A: RedLightGreen's database is based on the RLG Union Catalog. The RLG Union Catalog represents comprehensive materials for research that have been cataloged by librarians at leading academic institutions worldwide. For quick facts on the RLG Union Catalog click here. For information about RLG, please visit www.rlg.org.

Currently, RedLightGreen's database is the books portion of the RLG Union Catalog. Within the next few months, however, you can expect new materials to be added.

A: The only way to set your library preference in the current system of RedLightGreen is by completing step 3 of the registration process. The system then remembers your selection from session to session. Soon we will add a feature that enables you to set or change your default library before starting a search.

The Get it link lets you choose a library when you're ready to locate a particular title. If previously you've chosen a library but want to check a title's availability at a new location, just click the link in the green box that says, Other libraries.

A: To function properly, RedLightGreen requires cookies to be turned on in the browser. The cookies remember session information and, without them, the system can't correctly determine whether you are in a current session or if your session has ended. For Internet Explorer, cookies can be turned on by clicking Tools followed by Internet Options. In Netscape, depending on your version, click Tools followed by Cookie Manager, or for 4.x versions, Preferences in the Edit menu, followed by Advanced.

A: It's possible that we don't have the URL for your library's online public access catalog (OPAC). If so, you can e-mail us with your library name, location, and Web address by clicking the Let us know link in the Select a Library window.

We'll do our best to add your library OPAC to RedLightGreen's list. If we have the wrong URL for your library and you know the correct one, please contact us through the Let us know or Feedback links.

A: You can't select more than one item to create multiple citations in RedLightGreen. However, in the near future you will be able to create them one-by-one and add to Your List, another benefit of registering with our service.