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Search Operators

Logical (Boolean) search operators

Use any of the following logical (or Boolean) operators to connect search terms and control how your search is processed. You may also use proximity search operators in creating your search strategies.

AND

  • Finds documents containing all your search terms.
  • Example: expatriation AND allegiance
  • Why is this a good search? The word expatriation may be used in items that discuss emigration. Adding the word allegiance to the search makes the context clearer, if the intent is to find articles that discuss historical opinions about the concept of citizenship.

OR

  • Finds documents containing any of your search terms.
  • Example: farming OR agriculture
  • Why is this a good search? Farming and agriculture tend to be used interchangeably. Searching with both using the OR operator makes retrieval of all relevant items highly likely.

NOT

  • Finds documents containing your first word, but not your second word.
  • Example: captivity NOT Indian
  • Why is this a good search? This is a good search if you want to find instances of captivity exclusive of captivity in an Indian context.

Proximity search operators

Use the following proximity operators to connect search terms and control how your search is processed. You may also use logical (Boolean) search operators in creating your search strategies.

ADJ[x]

  • Finds documents where search terms appear within x words of each other and in the same order. Where x is not specified, this proximity operator defaults to 1.
  • Example: Philip ADJ3 Freneau
  • Why is this a good search? Name searches are often compromised by the appearance of middle initials in items. Specifying that the first and last names appear within 3 words of each other, rather than right next to each other, ensures complete retrieval of items that name Philip Morin Freneau, regardless of the absence or presence of the middle name.

NEAR[x]

  • Finds documents where search terms appear within x words of each other, in any order. Where x is not specified, this proximity operator defaults to 1.
  • Example: Jackson NEAR15 Florida
  • Why is this a good search? This is a good search for finding items about Jackson’s conduct in relation to Florida because the search statement specifies that the search terms should appear close together in individual items.