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The Internet

Other Search Strategies

Keyword Search Operators are specific words or symbols used for composing a keyword query.

BOOLEAN

 Use AND, OR and NOT to connect words or phrases in the search statement.

AND requires that both terms be present somewhere in the information being sought.
OR requires that at least one of the terms be present somewhere in the information being sought.
NOT excludes any information sought containing the term.
Sample query: New Orleans AND Saints

When using boolean operators, don't forget to capitalize them as shown above.

PLUS/MINUS Use {+}before a term to retrieve only the information containing that term. Compare it to using the Boolean operator AND. Use {-}before a term to exclude that term from the search. Compare it to using the Boolean operator NOT.
Sample query: New Orleans+Saints

Do not leave a space between the operator and the term that follows.

PHRASES

Words enclosed in double quotes " " indicates an exact phrase and is most often treated as a single term.
Sample query: "New Orleans Saints"

Note: The way to express the association between words will differ with each search engine. Always consult the help menu for the specifics of each search engine.


Review Question:

In searching for information on children, you want to ensure that you won't miss any relevant information. “Adolescents” is a good synonym for children, so you want to include this in your search, in hopes that you will get many results. What would your search look like?
(children OR adolescents)
(children AND adolescents)
(children NOT adolescents)


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