Whether you are using Research@UWW, one of the libraries' specialized databases, the internet, or some online stores, Boolean operators are the key to quickly finding what you want. They are instructions you give to the tool you are searching that explain what you want to find.
You can use Boolean operators in Basic and Advanced searches. The Advanced search guides you through creating your instructions by providing "AND" boxes/menus so that word options are possible for each concept. The video will explain!
How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Operators (AND OR NOT)
Adapted from design by UC San Diego Library.
Use quotation marks (" ") around exact phrases to get more accurate search results when searching. This ensures you only find results with your keywords in that exact order in the text.
Adapted from design by UC San Diego Library.
Truncation increases the number of search results you retrieve by finding any variations of a root word. Most databases use an asterisk (*) to truncate words.
Be careful with truncation. In the example below, the search would also retrieve results with words like gamble and gamete.
Adapted from design by UC San Diego Library.
There are two ways to create advanced searches using Boolean operators in the databases. The first is to use the basic/simple search option (the default for most databases). If you want to find information on teenagers and video games, but not articles that talk about violence, you might enter a search like this into the search box:
But it can be hard to remember how to do all of that formatting, so as a second alternative you could use the advanced search option in the database you're searching. The dropdowns next to the search boxes can be changed to AND, OR, or NOT.
Adapted from design by UC San Diego Library.