Note that all
Boolean operators must use capital letters.
Boolean operators are used to connect and define the relationship between your search terms. When searching electronic databases, you can use Boolean operators to either narrow or broaden your record sets. The three Boolean operators are AND, OR, and NOT.
| AND |
to search for multiple terms i.e. evidence AND admissibility will produce documents that contain both terms. |
| OR |
to search for either one of a pair of similar terms i.e. brief OR evidence will produce documents that contain either of these terms |
| NOT |
to exclude a term from a search i.e. evidence NOT briefs will exclude every search result containing the word "briefs" |
| " " |
use quotes to search for a phrase i.e. "love canal" will search for documents containing the exact phrase "love canal" |
| ( ) |
to search grouped clauses to form sub queries i.e. (watershed OR "water rights") AND planning will produce documents that contain either watershed or water rights and planning |
| ~ |
to search for words within a particular proximity of each other i.e. "watershed planning"~10 will search for watershed within 10 words of planning |
| ? |
to search for words where there may be variations of the word that you want included in your search i.e. te?t will product documents that contain text or test |
| * |
to search for a word with multiple character differences i.e. brief* will return searches with the words brief, briefs, and briefed |
For more information and tips please review our
Advanced Search Syntax Guide
