Tips for Searching on ICI.org

1. Use unique, specific terms.

Being precise will reduce the number of pages returned. So try where possible to use unique terms that are specific to the subject that you are researching.

2. Capitalization doesn’t matter.

Don’t worry about capitalization. ICI’s search engine does not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase, even within quotation marks. The following, for example, will all produce the same search results:

• finance
• Finance
• FINANCE
• “finance”
• “Finance”

3. Drop the suffixes.

It’s usually best to enter just the base word so that you don’t exclude relevant pages. For example, mmf and not mmfs; exchange-traded and not exchange-traded funds.

4. Use quotation marks for exact phrases.

Using quotation marks around a phrase will return only those exact words in that order. It’s one of the best ways to limit the pages returned.

5. Don’t use common words and punctuation.

Common terms like a and the are known as stop words, which means that they are usually ignored. Punctuation also is typically ignored. However, stop words and punctuation marks should be used when searching for a specific phrase inside quotation marks.

6. Use the advanced search feature to customize your search.

Click the Advanced button under the search box in the banner at the top of the page. This will allow you to refine your search by start date, end date, phrase, or document type.