I searched for an ISBN using a keyword search and got a result that was unexpected, why?
Applies to
- WorldCat Discovery
- WorldShare Record Manager
Answer
When you search for an ISBN, OCLC performs a conversion on the back end and searches for both the 10- and 13-digit versions of the ISBN. if you use the Keyword index, the system searches for that string in all indexed fields, whereas a search using the ISBN index only shows results in the 020 field.
For example, a Keyword search for 9781499454161 would also search for the converted 10-digit 1499454163 (the check digit changes to a 3). So, a kw:9781499454161 search would also include results with the string 1499454163 in any indexed field in any WorldCat record.