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ONLINE HELP AND TUTORIALS
EBSCO--ONLINE HELP AND TUTORIALS
EMERALD DATABASES
FAULKNER INFORMATION SERVICES (FAIS)
MERGENT ONLINE
SCIFINDER SCHOLAR "HOW TO" GUIDES
WILEY INTERSCIENCE ONLINE SEARCH DEMO
WILSONWEB QUICK START GUIDES
Boolean Searching
Broaden or narrow your search by combing words or phrases using the Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT.
The results of performing Boolean searches are sometimes illustrated by the diagrams below (called Venn diagrams.) The diagrams show graphically how
using the AND operator narrows a search,
using OR broadens a search,
and using NOT excludes material from a search.
Many databases and search engines have an Advanced Search interface that allows for Boolean searching; you can also try just using a Boolean operator in the main search box.
| Operator |
Example search
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The search will find... |
Venn diagram
results shown in pink
|
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AND
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north carolina and prohibition |
items containing "North Carolina" and "prohibition." AND narrows a search, resulting in fewer hits. |
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OR
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zimbabwe or rhodesia |
items containing either "Zimbabwe" or "Rhodesia" or both. OR broadens a search, resulting in more hits. |
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NOT*
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mexico not new mexico |
items containing "Mexico" but not "New Mexico." Caution! It's easy to exclude relevant items. |
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diagram courtesey of Duke University Library
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