Boolean searching is a technique that uses the terms AND, OR, and NOT in combination with your keywords to increase or decrease the number of search results.
- AND narrows a search because all the terms connected by AND must be present in results.
- OR broadens a search as only one key word or phrase need to exist in a document for it to be retrieved.
- NOT narrows a search because it is used to exclude key words or phrases.
Using Boolean searching is a very effective way to make your searches specific. For detailed help see the Skills Plus video guide on Boolean Searching.
