You'll get more precise search results by using Boolean operators to conduct your search. Boolean operators are simply a few special words that are used to connect search terms in a way that helps the database understand how they are connected. Quotation marks, parenthesis, and asterisks are also used in Boolean searches. Watch the video below or read on to learn more about them.
When you connect two keywords with the word "AND" (in capital letters), the database or search engine knows to find resources that include BOTH keywords. So, it will show you results that match both of your keywords.
When you search for:
cat AND dog
you'll see results that have both the words "cat" and "dog" together.
Using AND to connect keywords or key phrases narrows down your results by excluding anything that doesn't contain both. So, you'll end up with fewer but more focused results.
When you connect two keywords with the word "OR" (in capital letters), the database or search engine knows to find resources that include EITHER of the keywords. So, it will show you results that contain either of the keywords you entered.
When you search for:
cat OR dog
you'll see results that include either the word "cat" or the word "dog."
Using OR to connect keywords or key phrases expands your results by including anything that contains either of them. So, you'll get a wider range of results that include either keyword or key phrase, giving you more to explore and discover.
When you use the word "NOT" (in capital letters) before a keyword, the database or search engine knows to search for resources that include the other keywords you entered but exclude results with the "NOT" keyword. So, it will skip showing you results that overlap with the "NOT" keyword.
When you search for:
cat NOT dog
you'll see results that include the word "cat" but the results will exclude any results that mention the word "dog."
Using NOT narrows down your results by excluding anything that includes the NOT keyword or key phrase. So, you can focus on what you're looking for without any distractions. It's all about refining your search and avoiding anything that doesn't match your criteria.
When you enclose a group of keywords in parentheses, it signals to the database or search engine that those words form a key phrase. So, it will show you results that contain that specific phrase, exactly as you entered it.
When you search for:
"persian cat"
you'll see results that include the exact phrase "Persian cat." Enclosing the phrase in quotation marks helps the database or search engine to understand that you want results where "Persian cat" appears exactly as you entered it, without any variations.
Using quotation marks narrows down your results by including only occurrences where the words appear together in the exact phrase you enclosed in quotation marks. So, you'll get results that match the specific phrase you searched, without any variations or unrelated occurrences.
Enclosing a group of keywords or key phrases in parentheses with Boolean operators helps the database or search engine understand their relationship to one another. It lets the search engine know they have a special connection.
Use parentheses in long Boolean searches to help the search engine understand different segments of the search. It divides your search into smaller chunks to guide the search engine to the results you need.
When you search for:
(cat OR feline) AND (dog OR canine)
using parentheses, you're creating specific groups to refine your search even further. If you left the parenthesis out of this search, the database might not understand the connection between the words. It might think you want any one of the four search terms. But the first set of parenthesis tells it that it must find one of the cat related terms, and the second set tells it that it must find one of the dog related terms. By combining these groups with the AND operator, you help it understand that it must find results where one of the cat-related terms and one of the dog-related terms appear together.
You could also connect them with the OR or NOT operators, or create even longer combinations that connect multiple keywords, key phrases, and sets of parenthesis.
Using parentheses to enclose keywords or key phrases with Boolean operators can impact your results. The choice of using AND, OR, or NOT as your Boolean operators will determine whether your results expand or decrease. It's like wielding the power to control the search universe and fine-tune your results to meet your needs. So, by strategically using parentheses with the right Boolean operators, you can shape your search to deliver the perfect outcome.
When you use the asterisk (*) in a Boolean search, it acts as a wild card that represents one or more letters or numbers. It tells the search engine to be flexible and fill in the missing pieces. So, if you're unsure about a specific word or want to include variations, you can use the asterisk to match different possibilities.
When you search for:
cani*
you'll see results that include dog-related words like canid, canine, or caninity because these words all come from the same root word, Canidae, which is the biological family to which dogs belong. Because they share a root word, they all begin with "cani." Unfortunately this method isn't foolproof. You might also get unrelated words like canister because it also begins with "cani". This method is a bit like casting a wide net to catch related terms. You may find a few unexpected catches along the way.
Using an asterisk (*) as a wildcard expands your results by including every word that contains the same word fragment you provide. So, be prepared to see a much wider range of results, opening up new avenues for exploration.
Just remember, you can refine the results of a wildcard search by adding additional Boolean search conditions to get more specific results.
Watch the video below to help you better understand this process.
All images on this page are courtesy of Cynthia Soll.
