Boolean operators save you time and help you find relevant books and articles.
| AND | AND |
|
local business AND tax incentives Great Gatsby AND American dream |
Narrows search results by showing items containing BOTH terms. Use + in the catalog. Use AND in databases. |
| OR | OR |
|
androids OR robots Internet OR world wide web |
Finds items containing either term. Expands your results. |
| NOT | NOT |
|
Android NOT operating system java NOT coffee |
Excludes items containing the second term. Use - in the catalog. Use NOT in databases. |
Boolean Operators
Use AND, OR, NOT to narrow down your search results
Truncation *
use the * to truncate a search term that may have multiple relevant endings.
ex. searching for child* will find results with the words: child, child's, children
Quotation marks
Put quotation marks around phrases to search for the phrase rather than the words separately.
ex. "physical therapy" will only retrieve results with the phrase physical therapy.
Database Limiters (Often found on the Advance Search Screen)
Use database limiters to narrow down your search results: full-text articles only, a certain date range, or only peer-reviewed articles, evidence based practice research
Keyword vs. Subject Headings
Catalogs and databases can search by keyword or subject headings. A keyword search is similar to how you might Google and tells the search engine to find specific words. Subject headings come from an official, controlled language and items are indexed under these terms. Both strategies may be used in your searching.
Specific Phrases ... or those "" marks
If enter a phrase, such as California dreaming, into your search box, you will likely see results with the words close together but not necessarily in a single phrase. This can be a problem if you are searching for a book or movie by that title. Use quotation marks to tell the computer you what this EXACT phrase: "California dreaming"
Limit to Academic Journals
Limiting your search to Academic journals helps you eliminate news articles, book reviews, magazines and trade publications.
Search by Subject
Limiting the search by subject will help you find articles with your search terms as a primary focus of the article.