The Customer Service staff of The San Diego Union Tribune online archive wants to help make your searching as trouble-free as possible. To ensure your continued satisfaction with The San Diego Union Tribune online archive, we offer the following answers to some of the most commonly asked questions:

• What is available in the archive?
  
  
• What is not contained in the archive?
  
  
• Where is the photo/illustration/chart?
  
  
• How do I order back issues of San Diego Union Tribune?
  
  
• How do I get reprints of an article that appeared in San Diego Union Tribune?
  
  
• How do I get reprints of a photo that appeared in San Diego Union Tribune?
  
  
• How do I get better search results?
  
  
• What part of the article is actually searched for my search term?
  
  
• How do I browse articles that appeared on one specific day?
  
  
• What if I can't find my article?
  
  
• How do I find an obituary?
  
  
• What formats are available for viewing an article?
  
  
• How do I get a print subscription to San Diego Union Tribune?
  
  
• What if I have a question that cannot be answered by the Frequently Asked Questions?
  
  

San Diego Union Tribune archive includes locally written articles from 12/5/1983 through the present.

San Diego Union Tribune archive does not include advertising. Articles prior to are not yet available online. However, they may be purchased through back issues or reprints. Some items appearing on <% http://www.signonsandiego.com/ %> are not included in the Archives.

The archive does not include:

• Birth Announcements
• Classified Ads
• Real Estate Listings
• Sports Statistics
• Advertising
• Photographs or Graphics

Only text is included in the current archives 1983 - present. Photos, charts, illustrations and other graphics are not included. Please see What is not contained in the archives? for more information.

We have back issues available for 30 days prior to today's date. You may request a back issue by calling:
(619)293-1609

You also may write a note containing your name, address, daytime phone number, day and date of the issue, and a check or money order for the appropriate amount to:
    <% San Diego Union Tribune %>
    c/o Back Copy Sale
    P.O. Box 120191
    San Diego, CA 92112

Back issues are $3.50/daily - $6.50/Sundays, which includes postage. All back issues are subject to availability.

No. Currently the only way to get a reprint of an article, is to run a search for it, purchase it, and print it from your internet browser.

You may request reprints of Photos by mailing a note containing your name, address, daytime phone number, day and date of the issue, and a check or money order for the appropriate amount to:
    Photo Library
    P.O. Box 120191
    San Diego, CA 92112

Photo reprints are $35 for 8x10 color print per copy.
All reprints are subject to availability.

Be specific with your search terms. If your search is unsuccessful, refine your search terms. To narrow your search, use the advanced search page to fill in date range, author, headline, or subject fields. The more information you provide, the more precise your search results will be. To get more results, select different search words or a longer date range.

Using AND narrows the search, using OR broadens the search, and using NOT excludes unwanted items. The NOT operator is useful in refining an initial query that returns a broad list of results. WITHIN and ADJ controls how close your search terms must be to one another. ADJ also checks that words found are in the same order as in your search expression. For more detail, visit Search Tips.

The basic search includes the full text of the entire article, as well as text from the headline, author field, date range, subject terms, etc. For more detail on getting good search results, visit Search Tips.

On the advanced search page, use the date range option to select the specific date, insert a "*" into the "Search for" field, and click the search button.

Please review the Search Tips for helpful information, as well as How do I get better search results?. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide research assistance for the archives.

For the current full text archives:
To search for an obituary use the Advanced Search; next, in the Headline prompt box list the person's name this way:
  first name pre/3 last name
    Example: john pre/3 doe.
(Using the proximity of pre/3 tells the system to find the first name 3 words before the last name; this takes into account the use of a middle initial or a nickname.)

You can choose the format you would like to view by clicking the icon next to the article title. Please note: Only some document formats may be available. The following formats may be available:

Preview - The free Preview provides bibliographic information about the article, such as author and publication date, and a brief summary. This format contains no photos.

Full Text - The Full Text version includes the citation and abstract, along with the complete text of the article. This format contains no photos.

You may subscribe to <% San Diego Union Tribune %> by calling:
1(800)244-6397

If you still have questions after checking the frequently asked questions, please contact Customer Service. Please keep in mind that assistance is available only for technical and account-related issues. Research assistance is not provided.