Query history allows you to see all the queries you have previously run, together with the date and time, and results ('no. of hits').

If you want to re-run a query:

• To edit the query before re-running, click on the search expression (word, phrase, lemma or other pattern) in the 'Query' column,

• To instantly re-run the query, click on the column marked 'No. of hits'.

Queries which contained some kind of text restriction are shown in CQL format, e.g. no. 4 above:

This represents a search for must in spoken texts.

1. Query history does not list any operations you carried out after the initial query, such as sorting or getting distribution information on a word or phrase.
2. Further examples of the compacted CQL notation you may see in the Query history window are:
   
   (i) no.6 above:
   <catRef target=alltim3>#<catRef target=wridom1>#<catRef target=wriase2>#(cheerful)

   which means a search for cheerful in texts from the period 1985-1993 (=alltim3), in the Imaginative section (wridom1), written by females (wriase2)

   (ii) no. 5 above:

   ^"operate=VERB"

   where ^ means a lemmatized query (here looking for the lemma "OPERATE" as a verb.)

   You will see a similar form of notation at the top of the query results screen immediately after you run any query. Abbreviated labels such as 'wridom1' and 'sdesex1' refer to the selection or classification codes used in the headers of the BNC texts, and are explained in full in the BNC User Reference Guide (see, in particular, the section on the catRef element)

3. The system administrator can view the query histories of individual users. This feature was added in order to make it possible to assist users who repeatedly enter erroneous queries.