Many databases, as well as Quick Find, allow you to use Boolean operators, truncation, and phrases in your search statements. Using these can make your searches more effective. Check out our Quick Find guide here to learn more.
Boolean Operators
The Boolean operators (named after 19th-century logician George Boole) are AND, OR, and NOT. Watch our short Boolean Operators video here to learn more.
| cat AND dog | This retrieves items that have the word cat and the word dog. | |
| cat OR dog | This retrieves items that have the word cat or the word dog. | |
| cat NOT dog | This retrieves items that have the word cat but not the word dog. Use this with caution. |
Boolean operators can be grouped with parentheses:
(cat OR feline) AND (dog OR canine)
Note: Most search engines do not require that Boolean operators be written in capital letters. However, a few do. If in doubt, capitalize.
Truncation
Truncation is used to retrieve items having various forms of words. It is especially useful for finding singular and plural forms of nouns.
In most database search engines, the truncation symbol is the asterisk ( * ).
manufactur* This retrieves items that have manufacture, manufactured, manufacturing, etc.
Phrases
Phrases are sequences of words that appear together in the order specified. Use quotation marks ( " . . . " ) to indicate phrases.
"social work" This retrieves items having this phrase, but not items in which social appears somewhere and work appears somewhere else, but not next to each other in that order.
Phrases and Truncation Together
Most search engines allow you to use phrases and truncation simultaneously.
"social work*" This retrieves the phrases social work, social worker, social workers, etc.