"Block by block" - One key concept or set of terms per line: More succinct but you must check even more carefully for spelling mistakes once again, not possible in all databases (requires access to a search history):Ĭomplex searches will often mix these approaches, and that's okay. "Line by line" - Easier to see if you have made spelling mistakes when you look at the number of records generated by each line not all databases allow you to enter searches this way as it requires access to a search history: Notice that it is hard to make sure I have combined all the terms comprehensively. This is a simplified illustration.) Not recommended: (Depending on the databases, you may be using a different line syntax to combine line numbers, e.g., #1 OR #2 in PubMed, S1 OR S2 in CINAHL. Here's an example of four (incomplete but simple) searches that should end up with the same number of records but in which the Boolean logic and the search structure are either organized less or more efficiently or concisely.įor example, I am looking for literature on the use of ultrasound for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis. Parentheses work in most but not all systems (e.g., they work on the Ovid, PubMed, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science platforms, but they are ignored in Google and Google Scholar)Į.g., (chest OR thorax OR thoracic) AND (imaging OR radiographs OR radiography) Use parentheses to set the order of execution of the Boolean logic.
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retrieves records that include all of your search terms.retrieves records that contain at least one of your search terms.In some platforms or search systems, it does not matter whether you enter them in uppercase or lowercase, but others (like Google Scholar) require them to be in uppercase to work properly.
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Note: Capitalize your operators as a matter of practice. Refer to the database help files to find out if and how Boolean operators are supported.Some databases will have a different syntax to enter an operator, for example in Scopus, NOT is entered as AND NOT.Boolean operators work in many but not all databases, and not all operators may be available.Be careful not to accidentally type a dash instead of the minus sign, as this will give completely different search results. NOT: Putting a minus sign before a word (with no space) excludes the word from the search.
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Google boolean search operatordz windows#
The Windows keyboard shortcut for the pipe symbol is ALT + (on the number pad). OR: Both the word “OR” and the pipe symbol ( | ) act as the OR operator.AND: A space between two terms is interpreted as “AND”.Search engines like Google use these Boolean operators as follows: When NOT is used, all the conditions except the excluded ones must be true. With the OR operator, only one condition has to be met for the result to be “true”. Placing the AND operator between two conditions means that both conditions must be met in order for the result to be “true”. These symbols are also known as “ logical operators” and are mainly used in programming languages. The operators can be expressed in symbols as well as in words.