Precision Reference Search
Precision Search recognizes multi-term thesaurus entries in reference text queries from the main References search field. When a multi-term thesaurus entry is recognized, the individual terms comprising the entry are not searched as individual terms. Depending upon the nature of the query and additional terms, Precision Search may dramatically reduce the size of a reference result set.
Here are two simple examples to demonstrate the reduction in result counts:
| Query | Precision Search | Non-Precision Search |
| Acid rain | 18,840 results | 8,496,756 results |
| Antibody drug conjugate | 17,600 results | 5,806,227 results |
When a multi-term thesaurus entry is recognized in a reference query, that phrase is searched not only as a concept, but also in titles, abstracts, and keywords (similar to using a bound phrase (quotation marks) in a query).
When Precision Search is active, the first time a user enters a query with a multi-term phrase recognized as a thesaurus entry, the user sees a pop-up window containing a "Learn more" link that opens the Precision Search help page in a new tab. The pop-up window displays only once.