How to perform a Boolean Search

How to perform a Boolean Search

How to perform a Boolean Search

Boolean logic is used to search methodically for information about your topic. Boolean operators (named after a mathematician Boole) are simple words (AND, NOT, OR, and AND NOT) that are used as conjunctions to either combine or exclude keywords in a search, which focus results and make them more productive. This will save the writer wasted effort and lost time by focusing on articles that are pertinent to what is being researched. Although search engines and database collections might use them differently, there are certain basic operations that are used in retrieval logic.

Proximity Operators (with, near and others) can also help you in searching.
AND—requires both terms to be in each item returned. (Narrows the search)
OR—either term (or both) will be in the returned document. (Broadens the search)
NOT or AND NOT (dependent upon the coding of the database’s search engine)—the first term is searched, then any records containing the term after the operators are subtracted from the results. (Using Parentheses—Using the ( ) to enclose search strategies will customize your results to more accurately reflect your topic. Search engines deal with search statements within the parentheses first, then apply any statements that are not enclosed.

Select keywords from your search that are specific to topic and content, as you will use these words under your abstract.