Scope

• Suffix codes are used to restrict retrieval to specified basic index fields of a record.
• The basic index contains terms from subject-related fields.
• Use of suffixes is optional, because the basic index fields are what are searched when you put in search terms without any suffixes or prefixes. On the other hand, specifying the specific field you expect the terms you are searching for to be in gives you more precise control and, hopefully, targets and constrains the set of returned records.
• Specific fields and codes vary according to the database, so you have to check the Bluesheets for each database to determine which codes are available, though there are a variety of fields common to most databases.
• In Telnet, to learn what fields are in a particular database, type help field <# of database>

Common Suffix Codes

Remember that not all of these may be used in all databases.

Suffix	Format	Examples, Notes
Descriptor	/de	ss (physicist? or astrophysicist?)/de NOTE: These are standard terms in the thesaurus for an individual database. Unfortunately, you may have to get the thesaurus from the database provider to determine what are suitable descriptors. These terms may or may not be consistent with the Library of Congress Subject headings/Authorities.
Identifier	/id	ss space(w)shuttle/id NOTE: These are "uncontrolled" terms that are largely derived from the indexing of the individual words in the documents in the database. Check the bluesheets to see if the ID field is available.
Title	/ti	ss england and unicorns/ti
Abstract	/ab	ss southwest(w)airlines?/ti,ab
Publication Year	/py	s hurricanes/1998
Note	/nt	s frequency/nt
Text	/tx	ss (frequency(8n)rather)/tx
Section Heading	/sh	s ocean/sh

Using Multiple Suffixes

• Multiple suffix codes can be used, with each separated by a comma ", ".
• Example: s southwest(w)airlines?/ti,ab