Searches list
How to use the searches list
The searches list displays searches similar to the searches that you enter on the other pages, but presented in a condensed format. Searches can be moved between folders by dragging and dropping them with the mouse. They can also be copied (Ctrl+C), cut (Ctrl+X), and pasted (Ctrl+V).
The list view displays the following columns. See Citation metrics for details about the various metrics that appear in the list columns.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Search terms | An abbreviated rendering of the search parameters, intended as a reminder about the search. |
| Source | The data source to which the search was submitted. |
| Papers | The number of results (~papers) returned by the search. |
| Cites | The total number of citations returned by the search. |
| Cites/year | The total number of citations in the search divided by the number of years spanned by the results. |
| h | Hirsch's h-index calculated for the search results. |
| g | Egge's g-index calculated for the search results. |
| hI, norm | Normalized individual h-index calculated for the search results. |
| hI, annual | Annualized individual h-index calculated for the search results. |
| hA | Fassin's hA-index for the search results. |
| acc10 | Number of papers with 10 or more cites/year calculated for the search results. |
| Search Date | The date on which this search was last performed (see Results caching below). |
| Cache Date | The date on which the search data were last retrieved from the data source (see Results caching below). |
List view sorting order
By default, the items in the list view are sorted on the search term. You can re-sort them by clicking on a column header; this will cause the list to be sorted on the contents of that column. Clicking on the same column header a second time reverses the sort order. The last used sorting order is retained even when you display a different folder in the list view.
Note that some columns sort in ascending order by default, while others default to sorting in descending order. This is done because for some columns (for example the h-index or the total number of citations) the most important items are the ones with the highest value and are therefore best presented in descending order. You can always reverse the order by clicking on the same column header again.
List view popup menu
If you right-click on any of the queries in the list view, a popup menu appears with the following commands.
| Command | Description | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Search |
Performs all selected searches. If possible, the searches are satisfied from the local Publish or Perish cache; this saves time and reduces the load on the data sources. If no cache entry for a search exists or the entry is older than the maximum cache age, then the search request is forwarded to the data source. After the results are received from the data source, the local cache is automatically refreshed. |
Ctrl+L |
| Search Direct |
Sends all selected search requests directly to the data source, bypassing the local Publish or Perish cache. This may be useful if you suspect that the data source may have newer information available than is available through the local cache. When the results are received from the data source, the local cache is automatically refreshed. Note: It is not useful to perform multiple direct lookups for the same search shortly after another; this merely increases the load on the data source and increases the chance that you may be temporarily denied access. We recommend that you only use the Search Direct function as a last resort. |
Ctrl+Shift+L |
| Mark for Search | Marks the selected search or searches for a new search request. This is meant to prepare for batch-style processing in conjunction with the the regular Search command. | |
| New ... Search | Creates a new search item aimed at the indicated data source. It will be placed in the the parent folder of the currently selected search. | |
| Import External Data... | Imports external data into Publish or Perish. | |
| Save As BibTeX... | Saves the results of all currently selected searches in BibTeX format, encoded as Unicode UTF-8. | |
| Save As CSV... | Saves the results of all currently selected searches in comma-separated format, encoded as Unicode UTF-8. | Ctrl+S |
| Save As EndNote... | Saves the results of all currently selected searches in EndNote Import format, encoded as Unicode UTF-8. | Ctrl+Shift+S |
| Save As RefMan/RIS... | Saves the results of all currently selected searches in Reference Manager (RIS) format, encoded as Unicode UTF-8. | |
| Copy Metrics as CSV | Copies the citation metrics of all currently selected searches to the clipboard in CSV (comma-separated value) format. You can then paste this into other applications for further processing. | |
|
Copy Metrics as CSV |
Does the same as the previous command, but precedes the statistics with an extra line that contains the names of the fields, also in comma-separated format. | |
| Copy Metrics for Excel | Copies the citation metrics of all currently selected searches to the clipboard in tab-separated format. You can then paste this into other applications for further processing, and in particular into spreadsheet applications such as Microsoft Excel, Numbers, OpenOffice Calc, and SoftMaker's PlanMaker. | |
| Copy Metrics for Excel with Header |
Does the same as the previous command, but precedes the statistics with an extra line that contains the names of the fields, also in tab-separated format. | |
| Rename | Allows in-place editing of the search name. Only imported data collections can be renamed. | F2 |
| Cut |
Copies the currently selected searches to the clipboard and delete them from their current positions. You can then paste them into a different folder. |
Ctrl+X |
| Copy | Copies the currently selected searches to the clipboard. You can then paste them into a different folder. | Ctrl+C |
| Paste | Pastes the folder or search from the clipboard into the current folder. | Ctrl+V |
| Delete |
Deletes the currently selected queries.
|
Delete |
Results caching
Publish or Perish uses a local cache for the data returned by searches. If you re-run a search, then Publish or Perish will retrieve the results data from the local cache instead of contacting the data source again, provided that the cached data is still "fresh". If the cached data is too old, or if no cached data exists, then Publish or Perish sends the search request to the data source and stores the new results in the local cache for subsequent use.
The Search Date and Cache Date columns in the list view show the status of the search and cached data.
- Search Date is the date on which you last performed the query, i.e., last issued the Search [Direct] command.
- Cache Date is the date on which the data were last retrieved from the data source.
Typically, the Search Date is the same or more recent than the Cache Date. If the Search Date is more recent, this means that the search request on that date used the cached results rather than contacting the data source. This is normal behavior.
Out-of-date cached data
If the Cache Date is too long ago or missing altogether, then the list view will display a small blue "refresh" icon in front of the search. This means that the Cache Date is exceeds the maximum cache age specified in the Preferences dialog box.
In the case of out-of-date cached data, Publish or Perish will resubmit the search request to the data source the next time that you use the Search command. This happens automatically when you issue that command; you do not have to do anything special for that.
If you want to refresh the cache before the data expires, use the Search Direct command. This might occasionally turn up some extra results, but there is no point in using Search Direct more than once every few days; this merely increases the load on the data source and increases the risk that your search request will be refused. Under normal circumstances you should rely on Publish or Perish's automatic caching implementation.
Copyright © 2021 David Adams. All rights reserved. Page last modified on Thu 11 Mar 2021 10:44
Web master of Harzing.com and developer of the Publish or Perish software, among other things. He holds BSc and MSc degrees in Electrical Engineering, a PhD in Operations Research, and likes to watch academic life from a safe distance.
