Facets are one of the most commonly used search tools today, found in libraries, databases, and online shopping alike. They are filters that are applied to a search in any order, allowing the results to be expanded upon or narrowed as necessary.
Examples of available facets in Academic OneFile.
Example of facets applied in Academic OneFile.
You may be familiar with facets from online retailers like Amazon, which will allow you to search by ratings, price points, brands, sizes, etc. Database facets are the same, allowing you to narrow by publication date, journal/publication title, document type (articles, essays, reviews, transcripts, etc.), and more.
Facets typically take the form of dropdown menus, buttons, checkboxes, or sliders. Selecting a facet will apply its filter to your search. For example, choosing a filter for a publication title like Science Robotics will only show you results that match your subject headings and/or keywords from Science Robotics. Choosing a filter for the date range of January 1st 2015 - January 1st 2024 will only show you results from between those dates.
Facets are not persistent to every search, so you may need to reapply them periodically if you are changing any of your terms.