Searching with Boolean Logic and Proximity Operators

Okay, now it might sound as though it is getting complicated again, but it’s not! Trust us! Just stay with us and you will see for yourself!

WHAT'S A "BOOLEAN"?

“Boolean logic takes its name from British mathematician George Boole (1815-1864), who wrote about a system of logic designed to produce better search results by formulating precise queries. He called it the "calculus of thought." From his writings, we have derived Boolean logic and its operators: AND, OR, and NOT, which we use to link words and phrases for more precise queries.”

Okay, so here is the simplified version. Basically, what Boolean is, is just a way created by this British mathematician to make searching the web easier and more precise. How? By using the following key words: 

"AND"

Using AND on your search actually narrows your search by retrieving only documents that contain every single one of the keywords you enter. The more terms you enter, the narrower your search becomes. Voila! Really? Yes, really!

     EXAMPLE:   truth AND justice 
     EXAMPLE:   truth AND justice AND ethics AND congress

"OR"

Using OR expands your search by returning documents in which either or both keywords appear. Since the OR operator is usually used for keywords that are similar or synonymous, the more keywords you enter, the more documents you will retrieve.

     EXAMPLE:   college OR university
     EXAMPLE:   college OR university OR institution OR campus

"NOT" / "AND NOT"

NOT or AND NOT (sometimes typed as ANDNOT) limits your search by returning only your first keyword but not the second, even if the first word appears in that document, too.

     EXAMPLE:   saturn AND NOT car
     EXAMPLE:   pepsi AND NOT coke

NESTING

Nesting, i.e., using parentheses, is an effective way to combine several search statements into one search statement. Use parentheses to separate keywords when you are using more than one operator and three or more keywords.

     EXAMPLE:  (hybrid OR electric) AND (Toyota OR Honda)
     (For best results, always enclose OR statements in parentheses.)

BOOLEAN LOGIC REDUX

This is where it gets a bit complicated since not all search engines read Boolean logic. So what does this mean? Basically, you just have to give it a try and find out. Not cool, huh? Well, let’s look at it on the bright side. It’s a start! And it’s a tip that is worth trying.

IMPLIED BOOLEAN OPERATORS

You can also use the (+) or (-) signs and it has the same effect as using the words and or not.

     EXAMPLE:  +dementia -alzheimers 

Similarly, putting double quotation marks (" ") around two or more words will force them to be searched as a phrase in that exact order.