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Research Strategies: Search Strategies

How to use Boolean operators and LOC call numbers

What Is It and Why Should I Care?

Searching in the catalog and databases is different than using a search engine. The catalog and databases do not rewrite misspelled words or search for variant spellings, nor do they search for related terminology. Boolean Operators and other search techniques are tools that connect your search words together to either narrow or broaden your set of results. Identifying keywords or phrases and then connecting them using Boolean operators (AND, OR, and NOT), along with the other tools in this guide, can help you narrow, expand, and/or refine your searches to find relevant, useful sources.

Search Strategies

Quotation Marks

When words or phrases are enclosed by quotation marks, the exact phrase is searched in that order.

Example:

  • "three little pigs" will only search for those exact words together.

Parentheses

Parentheses may be used to narrow down a search and better utilize Boolean Operators to specify what you are looking for. Words that are placed in parentheses are searched first. Without parentheses, databases usually recognize AND as the primary operator.

Example: 

  • Generalized Search: jewel OR gemstone AND mining OR collecting
  • Focused Search: (jewel OR gemstone) AND (mining OR collecting)

Truncated Searching

 

Truncated searching involves entering the root of a search term and replacing the ending with an asterisk (*). The system will find all forms of that word regardless of variant endings.

Example:

  • gym* finds: gym, gyms, gymnasium, gymnast, gymnastics, etc.

Wildcard Searching

Wildcard searching involves inserting a question mark (?) in place of one letter of a search term, and allowing the system to match any individual character.

Example:

  • ho?se finds: house, horse, etc.

Nested Searching

Combine commands by "nesting" them in parentheses to create more detailed searches.

Examples:

  • ageism AND (workforce OR employment): Finds records with the words "ageism" and "workforce" or records with the words "ageism" and "employment."
  • (Texas AND rangers) NOT baseball: Finds resources with the Texas rangers, not the baseball team.
  • Army ("boot camp" OR training): Finds resources on Army boot camp or Army training. (Note that the AND command is understood.)

Boolean Operators

Boolean Operators must be entered in all capital letters in order to work as intended.

Operator

Search Example

Finds…

+

ageism + employment

Records that contain the words ageism and employment.

AND

ageism AND employment

Same as the “+” symbol. Finds records that contain the words ageism and employment.

OR

Army OR Marines

Records that include the word Army OR the word Marines. OR is used to expand your search results.

NOT

rangers NOT baseball

Records that have the terms “rangers” but not the term “baseball”. Used to exclude a term from your search results.

-

rangers - baseball

The “-“ symbol gives the same result as NOT. Finds records that have the terms “rangers” but not “baseball”.
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