Boolean operators form the basis of mathematical sets and database logic.
- They connect your search words together to either narrow or broaden your set of results.
- The three basic boolean operators are: AND, OR, and NOT.
Why use Boolean operators?
- To focus a search, particularly when your topic contains multiple search terms.
- To connect various pieces of information to find exactly what you're looking for.
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Use AND in a search to:
Example: vegan AND vegetarian.
The brown triangle in the middle of the
Venn diagram below represents the
the result set for this search.
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Use OR in a search to:
Both of the circles represent the result
set for this search. It is a big set
because any of those words are valid
using the OR operator.
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Use NOT in a search to:
Eliminate terms you don't need.
example:
vegan NOT vegetarian
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