Adding quotation marks around terms makes sure the database searches the words as a phase or a complete idea and NOT as unrelated words.
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You may be used to typing a question or sentence into the search box--like with Google. In search tools, like the library catalog or databases, this type of searching will not work. Typing a sentence or question will result in many odd, irrelevant, or unacceptable results
When searching databases use keywords along with specialized search tools called Boolean Operators.
The terms AND, OR, and NOT are used to either narrow or broaden your results. Boolean terms are always in all uppercase letters to distinguish them from the keywords.
Every term connected with an AND will be found in the results of the search.
In creating an AND search statement, you will not want to use every term you have identified. Doing so will produce a small number of results or no results at all. A better approach is to select terms for each separate concept in your research question, and then connect them with an AND. Try two or three of your strongest keywords linked together with AND.
Remember, every time you add a word you will narrow your search and receive fewer results. If you have too few results, try eliminating a keyword or substituting a keyword with a similar term.
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With OR, you are telling the search tool that you want information about either one term or the other term. This is an ideal search strategy to use with synonyms. This can be particularly effective when combined with an AND term.
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Here you are telling the search tool to make sure your results DO not include a particular word or phrase. This is a helpful tool when you need to eliminate topics that change the results.
For example, if you want to know about childhood obesity from around the world, but not childhood obesity in the United States, you can search for "Childhood obesity" NOT "United States" to eliminate any results that include the term "United States".
NOT can be used in conjunction with AND or OR. Just make sure NOT is used after the keyword you want to include and before the term you want to exclude.
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