Refine, merge, or compare searches

Refine searches when matched sentences show false positives, false negatives, or ambiguous language. Merge or compare searches when a measure needs more than one concept.

Refine a query

Start from the existing query, results, and matched sentences. Identify terms to add, remove, quote, or exclude.

Common changes include:

• Add synonyms to improve recall.
• Add exact phrases to improve precision.
• Add plural variants manually.
• Add AND NOT exclusions for false positives.
• Use parentheses to make precedence explicit.

Combine searches

Combine two existing searches with AND, OR, or AND NOT from the actions menu in search history.

Use AND when a measure should require both concepts. Use OR when either concept should count. Use AND NOT when a search should exclude a known false-positive concept.

Merges operate on the matched sentences of the two searches:

• AND keeps sentences matched by both searches.
• OR keeps sentences matched by either search, including sentences that only the second search matched.
• AND NOT keeps sentences from the first search that the second search did not match.

The merged search recomputes the call-level metrics from the merged sentence set, so the merged exposure, risk, and sentiment counts follow the same metric definitions as a regular search. The merged output keeps zero rows for the calls covered by the merge: with OR, calls from either search; with AND, calls present in both; with AND NOT, calls from the first search.

For complex queries with large keyword groups, it can be clearer to run separate searches and merge them than to maintain one long query. Keep the merge logic in the reproducibility record.

Compare searches

A comparison reports differences between two searches without combining them into one measure. Where available, select a comparison from search history, choose the two searches, and choose how to express the difference: net difference, absolute difference, ratio, or percent difference.

Use a comparison to check how a query refinement changed the measure — for example, how many matches an added exclusion removed, and for which firms. Matched sentences in a comparison are labeled by source, so you can inspect which sentences belong to only one of the two searches.

Compare versions before finalizing

Whether you refine, merge, or compare, look at both aggregate output and matched sentences before choosing the final query.

Record the final definition per the reproducibility checklist: the exact query, date range, selected options, merge or comparison logic where used, and the export date.