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Use correct spelling
The search engine will try to find words that sound similar to your search terms,
but it is always best to try to spell the search terms correctly.
Use upper case or lower case letters interchangeably
Results will be the same
whether you use capital (upper case) letters or small (lower case) letters.
massachusetts will find Massachusetts
Use multiple words
Results will be closer to what you want
if you use multiple words with different meanings instead of a single word.
ground water will find results that are closer to what you want than water
Use similar words
There will be more results that are relevant
if you use multiple similar words instead of a single word.
wetland floodplain watershed will find more results that are relevant than wetland
Use quotation marks
Results will contain words which must be adjacent to each other (in a phrase)
if you use quotation marks around the phrase.
"massachusetts avenue" will only find Massachusetts Avenue;
massachusetts avenue will find Massachusetts Avenue and other
avenues and the state of Massachusetts
Use plus (+)
Results will contain a word or phrase,
if you use a plus sign.
Leave no spaces between the plus sign and the word or phrase.
Reminder: a phrase must be contained within quotation marks.
+sample +location will find sample location,
sample location will find sample location and activities location and habitat location
Use minus (-)
Results will not contain a word or phrase,
if you use a minus sign.
Use minus sign with care, because many pages on this website cover multiple subjects.
Leave no spaces between the minus sign and the word or phrase.
Reminder: a phrase must be contained within quotation marks.
If you find a good reason to use a minus sign in a search on this website,
please tell us what it is by email information@alewife.org