You can use Boolean operators to build complex search strings. The three Boolean operators are AND, OR, and NOT; each has a specific function in a search string.
- AND: Combining terms with AND means that both terms must appear in the search results. AND always narrows your search, giving you fewer results. Using AND with too many terms can narrow your results down to zero.
- OR: Combining terms with OR means that either term can appear in the search results and they do not have to appear together. OR will always broaden your search, giving you more results. It's best to use OR with synonyms.
- NOT: Any term that comes after NOT will be excluded from the search results. This narrows your search results, but differently than narrowing with AND. Be careful with the terms used after NOT so that you do not accidentally narrow your search too much.
You can combine Boolean operators in to complex search strings such as:
(teens OR adolescents) AND (colleges OR universities) NOT (vocational)
