Page 39 - Web Search-En-V3

2: Boolean Logic

In honor of the 19th-century mathematician George Boole, the
phrase "Boolean logic" is used to describe the logical link between search
terms. There are three main "logical operators" in it: OR, AND, and NOT.

By combining two or more terms, such as cats AND dogs, you can
focus your search and only locate entries that contain all of the words you
combined.

By combining two or more terms, such as cats OR dogs, you can expand your search
and bring up entries that contain either, neither, or both of the words.

Use NOT to focus your search and bring up records that don't include the keyword that
comes after it. For instance, typing in "cats NOT dogs" will bring up documents that have
cats but not the word dogs.

3: Phrase Searching

Searching for exact phrases entails looking for two or more words. Most databases
assume the AND operator unless you specify differently, which means that all terms must be
present for a specific record to be included in the search results, though not always as an
exact phrase. Hence, climate change ought to produce the same outcomes as climate AND
change.

The search engine looks for words in the exact sequence when search terms are contained in
double quote marks (for example, "climate change").
It should be noted that phrase searching is a very efficient technique to focus your search,
particularly if your term includes two or more widely used phrases (like social media or the
White House).

4: Nesting

The database will mix different operators in one search query in the following order: OR,
NOT, AND. You can use brackets to regulate the order in which your search phrases are
merged. To designate the order in which you wish your search terms and their operators to be
interpreted, enclose them in brackets. The text between brackets is read first, followed by the
text outside of them.
Examples
(cats OR dogs OR birds) AND "animal welfare"
("global warming" OR "climate change") AND ("sea level rise" OR "extreme weather")
("computer games" OR "video games") AND (children OR youth OR teens)

32 Training unit in the field of technological information - at the Supreme Council of Universities © Intellectual property rights 2024