Help:Search for an article or topic

 Quick Reference:  ''Type search terms into the search box located in the navigation bar and click "Search." Example: "Indiana Birth."''

Anyone may search for articles in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. Users do not need to be registered to do this. This article will provide some helpful hints on making Wiki searches more efficient.

= How search works =

The search box allows users to type terms, and the Wiki search engine locates those terms in Wiki article headings and titles, and in the body of an article. While the search engine searches for all terms typed into the search box, it may not locate all of the terms together in an article. Also, those articles containing the terms many times throughout the article will rank higher in the search results than those that only contain the search terms once or twice.

= Search =

Use the following steps to search for articles or topics in the Wiki.


 * 1) In the Search box on the right side of a Wiki page, enter the title of the article you want to find. (You do not have to enter the exact title of the article.) Or type key words that describe the article you are looking for. For example, enter United States census or New York City birth records.
 * 2) Click the Search button and a list of article titles will appear. Review the list and click on the title of the article you want to read.  Note that- * Article titles will always be at the top of the page. * Text that is inside articles and that may match your request will always be at the bottom of the page.

3. To see more search results and titles, click on a number at the bottom of the page and move forward or backward from the page.

Exact Match Search
Use this search when you know an exact title or phrase you want to find.


 * 1) In the Search box in the top left corner of the Wiki page, enter the exact title or phrase you want to find. For example, enter Finding a Person in the 1930 Census (Even Without An Index) or enter Families in British India Society 1600 to 1947
 * 2) Click the Exact Match button. In the list of search results, see the following: (a) Article titles will always be at the top of the page. (If you did not type the title exactly as it appears, including the spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, a message will tell you that no match was found. But a very similar title will likely be in the results list as a close but not exact match.) (b) Text that is inside articles and that may match your request will always be at the bottom of the page.
 * 3) Click any title you would like to see.
 * 4) To see more search results, click on a number at the bottom of the page to move forward or backward from page to page.

Search Tips

 * 1) Searching for a specific article in the FamilySearch Wiki is relatively simple if you know the exact title. If you don't know the exact title, it would be like searching in the dictionary for a word you don't know how to spell.
 * 2) If you don't know the title of a wiki article, search for a topic or category.
 * 3) (a) At the bottom of every article is a category. Click the category name to see a list of all articles in that category. (b) Once you find an article about something you are interested in, find more similar articles by clicking the category at the bottom of the page.