Boolean logic is a commonly used algebraic form where all values are reduced to either a true or false convention. The three Boolean search
terms are: AND, OR, NOT. Here are four simple examples of these
three terms in use:
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Include
Both Words
The example above searches for all documents that contain both the search terms that the operator AND
separates. Documents found by this search will contain both the word
“medical” and the word “malpractice” in them.
-
Include
Either Word
This sample searches for all documents that contain either of the search terms separated by the
term OR. Documents found by this search will contain
either the word “medical” or the word “malpractice” in them.
-
Include
a Word and Exclude a Word
This sample, searches for all documents that contain the search
term(s) before the NOT
term, but not after it. Documents found by this search will contain the word “medical” but not the word “malpractice.
-
Exclude
a Phrase
Documents that are found by this search will contain the word "medical" but not the phrase "legal malpractice."
In this example, the search engine first looks for documents in which the word "medical" occurs.
Then the search engine looks for instances in those documents where the word
"legal" is adjacent to the word "malpractice" and discards them retaining only those documents in which the word "medical" is present without the phrase "legal malpractice."
Database Manual
Search Syntax
Field Searching
Browser Basics
Power User Tips
Drop Down Menus
