Boolean Operators
Boolean logic is a way to refine your searches by setting relationships between keywords or concepts. The most common Boolean commands are AND, OR, and NOT, and you can use parentheses to clarify these relationships. Using these commands can help you get more accurate search results and save time.
AND narrows your search: It tells the database that you want to find articles that include all of the specified terms.
For example, if you search for "Health AND Policy AND Pakistan," you'll get results that include all three terms: "Health," "Policy," and "Pakistan."
OR expands:
This tells the database to include articles that contain either of the terms.
For example, if you search for "Health OR Policy OR Pakistan," you'll get results that include either "Health," "Policy," "Pakistan," or any combination of these terms, including all three.
NOT excludes:
This tells the database to exclude any articles that contain a specific term.
For example, if you search for "Health NOT Policy," you'll get results about "Health" that do not include the term "Policy."
Joining narrows your search:
This tells the database that you want articles containing either one of two terms and another term.
For example, if you search for "(Health OR Policy) AND Pakistan," you'll get results that include either "Health" or "Policy" and also include "Pakistan."
