The invention provides, inter alia, front ends to a database search engine or engines, that process a user query to generate a new search request that will more effectively retrieve information from the database that is relevant to the query of the user. To this end, in one embodiment the systems can be realized as computer programs present to a user interface to a user and which prompt the user to enter one or more key phrases that are representative of a user search request or user query. The user interface can collect the key phrases provided by the user and can analyze these key phrases to identify at least one meaning that can be associated with this user query. The systems can then process the user query and the identified meaning to generate an expanded search request that can be represented as a boolean search strategy. This boolean search strategy can then be processed to create one or more expanded user queries that can be presented to a search engine to collect from a search engine information that is relevant to the interest of the user.