Common Boxes

When searching research databases, you could combine search terms using Boolean operators. Use AND to combine terms or sets of terms, OR to include synonyms or different ways of expressing a concept, and  NOT to eliminate terms that are resulting in a high number of false hits.

http://www.leicester.ac.uk/li/sources/subject3/physics/ist/boolean.html

What are Boolean operators?

Boolean operators are used to define the relationship between search terms.  They can be used to broadeen or narrow a set of search results.

Thhere are three common Boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT:  it is a good practice to capitalize Boolean operators because some databases require it.

AND is used to join words or phrases when both (or all) the terms must appear in the items you retrieve.

This search query would return a much smaller set of records, and the items found would be more specific to your research question. If you are retrieving too many records, try adding another search term with the Boolean Operator AND.

OR is used to join synonymous or related terms, and instructs the search tool to retrieve any record that contains either (or both) of the terms, thus broadening your search results.

The OR operator is particularly useful when you are unsure of the words used to categorize your topic or if information on your topic is even available. If you are retrieving too few records, broaden your search by adding a synonym with the Boolean Operator OR.

NOT is used to exclude a particular word or combination of words from your search results.

If you are retrieving many records that are unrelated to your topic, try using the NOToperator to eliminate a word. This should be done cautiously, because as well as deleting the unwanted items, such a search will also eliminate records that discuss both the relevant topic as well as the unrelated topic.

Source: http://cegep-heritage.libguides.com/content.php?pid=378455&sid=3099941

Image taken from LibrarianDesignShare.org & created by Erica DeFrain from University of Vermont Libraries