Boolean searching
Boolean searching uses the words AND, OR, and NOT to help you manipulate your searches.
There is a video on the Databases page that illustrates using Boolean searching in databases.
AND is used to make sure multiple words or phrases all appear in all the search results.
- epidemics AND vaccines (when you want to make sure your sources address both)
OR is used to search for variant terminology, like synonyms and related terms
- capital punishment OR death penalty (to bring back results using either phrase)
NOT is remove results that are related to your topic, but not quite right
- epidemics NOT flu (If you are researching epidemics, but keep getting sources on the flu, which you don't want)
" " Quotation marks aren't actually part of Boolean searching, but they are essential. They make sure words are searched as exact phrase.
- "cold war" (so it doesn't bring back every source that uses either just the word cold or the word war)