Combining search terms with AND:

• Narrows your search, reducing the number of results.
• Makes the search focus more specifically on your topic.

For Example

A search for librarian yields 172,745 results

A search for “active learning” yields 16,358 results

A search for "active learning" AND librarian yields 1,243 results

Combining search terms with OR:

• Expands your search and increases number of results.

For Example

A search for student yields 3,698,871 results

A search for researcher yields 1,425,100 results

A search for student OR researcher yields 4,690,553 results

Combining search terms with NOT:

• Narrows your search, decreasing your search results.
• Tells the search to exclude certain terms.

For Example

A search for college yields 3,378,136 results

A search for college NOT “high school” yields 2,916,582 results

Use Quotation Marks to:

• Narrow your search.
• Combine search terms that are more than single worlds.

This shows the search engine that you want the terms to be found together. The search will look for exactly what you place in the quotation marks, so be sure there are no mistakes.

For Example

A search for information literacy yields 147,695 results

A search for "information literacy" yields 13,038 results

Use Truncation to:

• Expand your search.
• Give your search tool flexibility to find alternate endings for your search term.

Search engines match your terms to results; they will not automatically find an alternate version of it. Truncation tells the search to match the root of your term and gives it freedom to find whatever endings it can.

For Example

A search for Librarian yields 172,775 results

A search for Librar* yields 1,887,533 results

These commands are called Boolean Operators.

Bool•e•an

1. denoting a system of algebraic notation used to represent logical propositions, especially in computing and electronics.

What does that mean for you?

If you are having a hard time finding what you need, use the Boolean Operators outlined here to more efficiently search databases.

No matter where you are searching - the catalog, Google Scholar, a database you will want to use Boolearn Operators to refine your search to your specifications.

We are indebted to the Butler University Library's And/Or/Not box for some of the content displayed here.