For example, a trained searcher knows that a search for "Advil" is better expressed as "Advil OR Ibuprofen" (i.e. a Boolean search expression). Knowledge Finder bypasses this complexity by automatically mapping an inexperienced user's search for "Advil" to "Ibuprofen" and other synonyms.

1) Concept mapping - Knowledge Finder analyzes your search query and maps your words to the language used in the database. Here are some simple examples:

"Heart Attack" maps to "Myocardial Infarction"

"SAH" maps to "Subarachnoid Hemorrhage"

Drug brand names such as "Prozac" are mapped to their generic equivalent, such as "Fluoxetine"

2) Spelling Equivalents - British/American spelling equivalents are applied (e.g., "paediatric" and "pediatric", "haemorrhage" and "hemorrhage")

3) Word forms - Word forms are automatically introduced, including singular/plural and verb tense mapping

4) Weighting - Knowledge Finder attaches more importance to words and concepts that appear in particular parts of the document such as the title and the thesaurus

5) Term frequency and normalization - Knowledge Finder counts the number of words (and word variants) in a document to assess its relevance. However, unlike other search engines that simply attach more importance to frequently occuring words, Knowledge Finder analyses the term count in respect to document length and also recognizes the greater importance of infrequently occuring terms with respect to other terms in the original query.

6) Automatic pre-explode - Databases such as MEDLINE have thesauri that organize specialized language into hierarchical structures. Knowledge Finder uses this information to retrieve terms that are "lower" in the structure as a way to identify additional relevant information. For example, a search for "Myocardial Infarction" identifies terms such as "Cardiogenic Shock" that are indexed below "Myocardial Infarction" in the MEDLINE thesaurus.

Knowledge Finder conveniently packages all of these enabling technologies into a single search button. The continuous enhancement of the technology for more than 14 years ensures that you retrieve excellent search results as quickly as possible.

To get the most out of Knowledge Finder, enter your full search query at the start. For example, if you are interested in the use of aspirin to treat hypertension, you should enter "how can aspirin be used to treat hypertension", not just "aspirin".