AND, OR, NOT, Parenthesis, NEAR 2/26/2019 Boolean Operators AND, OR, NOT, Parenthesis, NEAR 2/26/2019 Straughn High School

Introduction Searching for information on the NET can be a daunting task. You could spend hours on an unfocused quest, using one or several search engines. The NET is vast, but it can be organized into a sensible stream of info by using various filtering tools. 2/26/2019 Straughn High School

Topics of Discussion Today’s lesson is designed to show you how to use the filtering tools AND, OR, NOT, ( ) , & NEAR (Boolean Operators) to search for information. 2/26/2019 Straughn High School

Boolean Operator AND If you enter AND between two words then your search will only yield documents that contain both words, therefore narrowing your search. Example-----If you enter goldfish AND guppies then your search will yield only documents with both words. 2/26/2019 Straughn High School

Boolean Operator OR When entering OR between two words in your search engine, you are telling it to find documents that contain either word (you don’t care which word, just one of them), therefore broadening your search. Example----Suppose you are purchasing a classroom fish tank and you would like to know more about goldfish and guppies. If you type in goldfish OR guppies in your search engine then it will yield pointers to documents that contain the word goldfish or the word guppies. 2/26/2019 Straughn High School

Boolean Operator NOT NOT tells the search engine to disregard those documents that contain a word. This is a powerful command and should be used sparingly. Example-----If your search about goldfish and guppy food yielded lots of information about swordtails, you might be tempted to try NOT swordtails. But what if the utmost authority on goldfish happened to be a swordtail enthusiast? Perhaps her name is Irma Swordtail? You might eliminate the very thing for which you are searching. 2/26/2019 Straughn High School

Boolean Operator Parenthesis ( ) Parenthesis can help the search engine determine exactly what you mean. Example-----Maybe you want to find articles about what the fish eat. If you enter goldfish OR guppies AND food, you might not get the documents you intend. Your search engine does not read left to right the way humans do. Most interpret the AND first, then follow with the OR. So, in this case you might get information about guppies and food and any information about goldfish.--------To solve this dilemma, you can tell the search engine to interpret the OR first by typing (goldfish OR guppies) AND food . Notice the parenthesis around goldfish OR guppies. Note------Parenthesis are not needed when you are only using AND. Example: goldfish AND guppies AND food, or only using OR Example: goldfish OR guppies OR food . 2/26/2019 Straughn High School

Boolean Operator NEAR You may also narrow your search by using the term NEAR. This operator will retrieve two words that are close together. A large document can contain many different words, and combining the words can create topics not really sought after. Example----If you were to search for information on gray cats, and you searched for gray AND cats, documents describing cats that lived in gray houses, or slept on gray mats, or woke up and the day was gray might appear on the list. If you enter gray NEAR cats, you stand a better chance of retrieving what you want. 2/26/2019 Straughn High School

Conclusion When using a search engine, it’s helpful to read the instructions before embarking on your quest. Each search engine has different parameters for upper and lower case letters and the use of Boolean operators-----try some experimental searches----Browse the results and make any necessary adjustments to the structure of your search words and operators. With a little practice, you can save hours of time in cyberspace and focus on the task at hand! Visit the following website [http://www.sesd.sk.ca/teacherresource/online%20inservice/search /booleen%20searches/booleannew.htm]) 2/26/2019 Straughn High School