When NoveList performs a search using words that you have entered in an edit field, it retrieves any titles that contain these words in the fields specified in your search. The words do not have to appear near each other or in a particular order. This allows for the largest possible number of relevant titles to be returned. This method of searching can also result in a search that is too broad.

Proximity operators allow you to narrow your search by retrieving records where the words you enter appear within a certain number of words of each other. NoveList's proximity operators are composed of the letters N (words near each other in any order) or W (near each other, in the order entered) and a number (to specify the number of words that can be between the words you entered).

Examples:

• To find instances of "Starred Reviews" in reviews, you would enter "starred W0 reviews" in the field.
  
• The search "women W1 detectives" (using the Subjects field) will find "Women lawyer-detectives", "Women editor-detectives", "Women bird-watcher detectives", etc. as well as "Women detectives" itself.
  
• Using the "N" operator allows you to use "murder N3 accident" to find reviews that contain phrases like "His obsession that a hunting accident is really a murder..." and "..the police aren't sure whether it's accident, suicide or murder.
  

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