
Databases and Internet search engines use different symbols to truncate.For example,īank* will retrieve: bank or banks or banking or banker or bankruptcy, etc. Using truncation will broaden your search.Most databases allow for a symbol to be used at the end of a word to retrieve variant endings of that word.'(women or females) AND (image NOT weight) This use of parentheses in Boolean searching is also known as "nesting" ( ) Group words or phrases when combining Boolean phrases and to show the order in which relationships should be considered. Note: Some databases use "and NOT" instead of "NOT." Check the individual database's help screen. NOT Narrow search and retrieve records that do not contain the term following it.Use "NOT" in front of a term to ensure that the search will not include that term. Use "OR" in between terms that have the same meaning (synonyms) or equal value to the search. The | can be used instead of "OR" (e.g., 'mouse | mice | rat' is equivalent to 'mouse or mice or rat'). OR Broaden search and retrieve records containing any of the words it separates. Use "AND" in between terms that are required to make the search specific.



Here is a diagram the effects of these operators:ĪND Narrow search and retrieve records containing all of the words it separates. When used in a search they must be capitalized to distinguish them from the terms you are searching for. Boolean operators are also called "logical operators" or "connectors". Boolean statements, or "operators," are words (OR, AND, NOT) used to connect search terms to expand (OR) or narrow (AND, NOT) a search within a database to locate relevant information.
