Contents

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Contents

• Boolean Logic
• Truncation
• Phrase Searching

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the THEORY
Boolean Logic

• Boolean logic allows users to combine search
  terms.
• Boolean logic allows users to both expand or
  limit their search.

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the THEORY
Boolean Logic

• This is achieved by using Boolean operators AND,
  OR and NOT (always in caps), to link the search
  terms in searches.
• Boolean logic is used in many computer
  applications including search engines, web
  directories, databases and some CD ROMS.

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the THEORY
Boolean Logic

• An example will explain how the operators (or
  link words) work to limit or expand your search.
• The question for this search is
• How are students affected by computers?

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the THEORY
Boolean Logic

• First it is necessary to isolate the major words
  from the question to use as search terms.
• These terms are referred to as keywords.
• E.g. The keywords from this example are
  STUDENTS and COMPUTERS.

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the THEORY
Boolean Logic

• The first operator (or link word) to investigate
  is OR.
• How will it affect the search on students and
  computers?
• Will the search expand or will OR limit the
  search?

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Using OR
Boolean Logic

• When you use the OR operator in
• students OR computers
• the documents retrieved have either of the
  keywords in them.

OR highest retrieval
students computers
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Using NOT
Boolean Logic

• The second operator (or link word) to investigate
  is NOT.
• How will it affect the search on
• STUDENTS and COMPUTERS?

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Using NOT
Boolean Logic

• When you use the NOT operator in students NOT
  computersthe items retrieved refer to students
  only.

NOT Pages contain one but not the other term
students
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Using AND
Boolean Logic

• The third operator (or link word) to investigate
  is AND.
• How will it affect the search on
• STUDENTS and COMPUTERS?

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Using AND
Boolean Logic

• When you use the AND operator in
• students AND computers
• only items containing references to both
  students and computers are retrieved.

AND narrows the search
students computers
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GOOGLE TIP
Boolean Logic

• Some search engines have additional boxes or
  links which allow you to further narrow the
  results of your search.
• Google has a search within results link at the
  bottom of their results page.
• E.g. - search students AND computers
• - click on search within results
• - type in effects and press enter
• Try this http//www.google.com/

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Search HINTS
Boolean Logic

• Some search engines and databases require users
  to click on Advanced Search to use Boolean
  searching.
• Individual engines and directories use different
  Boolean operators.
• The examples of how different engines use Boolean
  logic will explain this further.

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Using DirectHit
Boolean Logic Basic Search
With Boolean searching on DirectHit

• the (plus) symbol is used instead of AND. Place
  immediately before all terms to be included in
  the search. E.g. animals endangered
• the - (minus) symbol is used instead of NOT.
  Place immediately before all terms to be
  excluded. E.g. animals mammals
• the OR is not available.

Try it http//www.directhit.com/
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Using GOOGLE
Boolean Logic Basic Search
With Boolean searching on Google

• the AND is implied. Type in all terms to be
  included in the search. E.g. animals endangered
• the - (minus) symbol is used instead of NOT.
  Place immediately before all terms to be
  excluded. E.g. animals mammals
• the OR operator (in capitals) is placed between
  terms.
• E.g. astronomy OR planets

Try it http//www.google.com/
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Using AllTheWeb
Boolean Logic Basic Search
With Boolean searching on AllTheWeb

• (plus) is used instead of AND. Place
  immediately before all terms to be included
  in the search. E.g. animals endangered
• - (minus) is used instead of NOT. Place
  immediately before all terms to be excluded.
  E.g. animals mammals
• () (parentheses) are used instead of OR. Place
  all terms in parentheses.
• E.g. (astronomy planets)

Try it http//www.alltheweb.com/
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Search HINTS
Truncation

• Truncation is a tool which can broaden a search.
• Users enter part of a word in order to ensure
  retrieval of all documents containing variations
  of the word.
• Not all search engines allow truncation.
• Try the next example using Yahoo.

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Using YAHOO
Truncation

• Tool to broaden searches
• Right hand truncation with
• Type sight
• You will retrieve documents with sights,
  sightseeing, sighted etc.

Try it http//www.yahoo.com/
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Using IXQUICK
Truncation

• Internal wild-card truncation with
• Type color
• You will retrieve documents containing both
  colour and color.

Try it http//www.ixquick.com/
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SEARCH HINTS
Phrase Searching

• Phrase searching offers another tool which will
  contribute to a successful search on the
  Internet.
• Try the following examples

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Using GOOGLE
Phrase Searching

• Enclose terms to be searched as a phrase in
  quotes
• The Gettysburg Address
• The Battle of Trenton
• The phrase will be retrieved exactly as keyed in.
• Try it http//www.google.com/

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Works Cited
Barlow, Linda. How Search Engines Work. The
Spiders Apprentice A Helpful Guide to Web
Search Engines. 22 Sept. 2001. Monash
Information Services. 4 Oct. 2001 lthttp//www.
monash.com/spidap4.htmlgt.
Henninger, M. Dont Just Surf. Effective Research
Strategies for the Net. Sydney U of New South
Wales, 1999.
Tyner, Ross. Internet Search Tools and
Techniques. Electronic Information Literacy
Library and Internet Research. 25 Aug. 2000.
Okanagan U Coll. 4 Oct. 2001 lthttp//www.ouc.bc.ca
/ library/eil/research/internet3.htmlgt.



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