Constructing your search
Boolean Operators- AND, OR, NOT
To ensure you get the most relevant results Library search and other databases use Boolean operators to let you combine your keywords creating precise commands. Boolean Operators are the words AND, OR, NOT, you can use these to combine keywords and thus broaden or narrow your search results. Here are some examples of these operators:
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AND- Each result contains all search terms- pulls articles that will include both words.
Example: Globalisation AND trade (The AND operator is used for narrowing or focusing a search topic).
OR- Each result contains at least one search term. (The OR operator is used for expanding or broadening a search topic.) Example: Globalisation OR internationalisation
NOT- Each result will eliminate false hits. (The computer will retrieve records that contain the first term BUT NOT the second)
Example: Trade NOT industry
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Use the AND, OR, NOT buttons on Rockwell's Boolean Machine to view a visual depiction of how these operators work in your search.
Truncation, WildCard and Phrase Searching
Truncation- represented by an asterisk (*) searches for possible word variations with the same root. Enter the root of a search term, replace ending with an * For example: type comput* to find words computer or computing.
WildCard- represented by a question mark (?) searches for possible spelling variations Enter your search terms, adding the (?) in places where an alternate spelling may contain an extra character. For example: wom?n- to find results including woman, and women.
Phrase Searching- represented by quotation marks (“ “) only searches words in quotations. Enter a phrase you want to search and place in quotations. For example: “Human rights”.