How to Search

In order to execute a valid search, you must enter at least one of the following search terms:

1. Module code
2. Module title keyword/phrase
3. Instance code

You may however enter (or select) as many terms as you wish. Search terms are generally cumulative - the more terms are entered, the more specific the search will be, and the fewer the results.

Search Results/Downloading Papers

Once a search is entered, results will be shown wherever a paper would have been expected, even where one is not actually available at a point in time. The results are dependent on the block release dates for assessment periods - see the top of this help screen for these.

If there are too many matches returned (the current limit is 500), then no results will be displayed. Instead, advice on how to reduce the number of matches will be shown, the exact text depending on what search terms had been entered.

• View/Download Paper - A link to the actual paper in PDF format for viewing and/or downloading. The exact mouse/command sequence for either viewing or downloading will depend on your combination of Internet browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Firefox) and Operating System (e.g. Windows, Mac OS, Linux). Usually, a system with a two-button mouse will allow you to "right-click" on the link to bring up a menu whereby the file can be viewed or saved. Downloadong with touchscreen-based systems (smartphones or tablets) is also supported.

• Paper Bonding - A 'B' beside the paper name indicates that this is a bonded paper, meaning that two or more papers are actually examined on the one physical exam paper. This is important, because there is only ever one paper actually stored in such a case, and the entries for the various constituent papers each point to the same actual paper. In such a case, the paper need only be accessed or downloaded once. Holding the mouse over the 'B' symbol will display a pop-list of the other papers that the paper in question is bonded with.

• Paper File Naming - Paper files are named in specific fashion, although you are free to change the name at the point of download, or later on. The default naming convention is designed to make it relatively easy to identify papers just by looking at the filename:

  2007_2008_EC219_1_1_2.PDF - Academic year (2007_2008), module code (EC219), paper number (1), assessment sitting (1 = First), and assessment period (2 = Summer).

Where papers are bonded (see above), the filename is arbitrarily generated from one of the constituent papers.

• Paper "Not Available" - Where a paper is not available for some reason, an 'X' symbol is displayed instead.

• In the majority of cases, this happens because examiners know in advance that there will be no-one sitting a paper, and so a paper will not even be submitted in the first place. This will often happen with repeat papers, where all students pass a module at the first sitting.

• Examiners may at their discretion withhold a paper from public release, with a view to reusing some material in the future. This can happen in cases where no-one actually presented for a repeat paper, even though some students were expected to present.

• Paper not listed at all

• Where a module was available for selection in a given academic year, but no students registered for it, then its papers will not be listed for that year.

• Where a paper has been sat, but the relevant block-release has not yet occurred (see above), then the paper will not be listed in the search results.

• Irish Version (Supplemental) - where there is an extra version of the paper available in Irish. This is rare, and only occurs where the primary language of examination is something other than Irish (usually English), but where there is a also a special Irish version. Where a paper is examined through Irish in the first instance, then the paper is a available via the standard link. Where a supplemental Irish paper is available, the default filename will include _IRISH at the end of the name.

Tips on Searching

• To find (for example) any modules with the word organic in the title, just enter that as a keyword. It will not find anything on the basis of the word inorganic appearing in the title. To also find any modules with the word inorganic in the title, enter that in another keyword field - do not enter it in the same field. The default condition (Can match against any entry) will do the rest.

• Note that since the keyword search supports wildcards, both organic and inorganic could also be found by entering a single search term of %organic. Also, depending on the circumstances, other search parameters - particularly the module/subject code - could be set for a faster and more efficient search.

• Phrases can also be searched for - e.g., management accounting, which should be entered in a single field. That does not preclude other terms being entered in the other title fields. If, on the other hand management and accounting are entered in separate fields, then the results will depend on whether any or all terms are to be matched. The 'any' condition could easily return too many matches. The 'all' condition will usually be much more restrictive. It will still return more matches than putting the phrase in a single field - it will return everything that that search did, plus titles such as Accounting For Management Decisions.

• In any search using multiple title keywords/phrases, the order in which they are found in the title does not have to match the order in which they were entered on the search form. Nor does it matter how widely separated they are.

• Keywords/phrases can have wildcards ('%') embedded in them, as well as the start or end. This might be useful in cases where someone is unsure of the spelling of certain word or name or phrase.

• You can copy and paste keywords from module titles in the results section back into the search form, and then run the search again for better results.