Share

GERO 8100 Research Methods

Boolean Operators

Boolean logic is a system that allows a searcher to set relationships between keywords or concepts when searching. The most commonly used Boolean commands are AND, OR, and NOT. Parentheses can be used to specify the relationship further. Using these operators can make your searches more precise and save time.

AND NARROWS: 
Tells the database that you only want articles that contain ALL of the search terms

smoking AND nicotine

OR EXPANDS: 
Tells the database that you want all articles that contain EITHER of the terms

smoking OR nicotine

NOT EXCLUDES: 
Tells the database that you do not want any articles that contain a certain term

smoking NOT nicotine

JOINING NARROWS: 
Tells the database that you want articles with EITHER of two terms AND another

(smoking OR nicotine) AND cancer