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Use any of the following operators to connect to search terms and control how your search is processed.

Boolean Operators: Definitions and Examples

AND - Finds documents containing all your search terms.

Example: computers AND bulletin boards

Bulletin boards don't have to be electronic. Adding the word computers to the search makes the context clear.

Searching with both using the AND operator is likely to exclude any items on electronic bulletin boards.

OR - Finds documents containing any of your search terms.

Example: farming OR agriculture

Farming and agriculture tend to be used interchangeably. Searching with both using the OR operator

makes retrieval of all relevant items highly likely.

NOT - Finds documents containing your first word, but not your second word. Return to Top

Example: accelerators NOT nuclear

Excluding nuclear from this search makes it likely that items retrieved will be about motor vehicle accelerators

rather than nuclear accelerators.

ADJ(x) - Finds documents where search terms appear within x words of each other in the same order.

Where x is not specified, defaults to 1.

Example: Maggie ADJ3 Field Return to Top

Name searches are often compromised by the appearance of middle initials in items. Specifying that the first

and last names appear within 3 words of each other, rather than right next to each other, ensures complete

retrieval of items that name Ms. Field.

NEAR(x) - Finds documents where search terms appear within x words of each other, in

any order. Where x is not specified, defaults to 1.

Example: Bush NEAR5 Cheney

This would be a good search for finding items about Bush's relationship with his Vice President

because it specifies that their names should appear close together in the article.