Whether using an Internet search tool or a CD ROM encyclopedia, there are simple strategies and techniques that can result in more accurate, effective and efficient searches. Boolean Logic is one of those techniques that can make electronic searching easier and more effective. The easiest way to share some basics of these search strategies is to give an example of the kind of search that would be improved through the use of some of these techniques. Through the use of Boolean operators, you can make your search more specific. Entering Lincoln AND Nebraska would make it so that both terms would need to be present in the document.
Some engines allow the searcher to specify location or proximity.
Several search engines substitute signs for the Boolean operators. Some engines require that AND is capitalized, while others do not. Truncation is another search tool as well as the use of quotation marks and parentheses. Depending on the search tool used, an asterisk or question mark at the end of a shortened word will allow the engine to search for variations of the word. Using quotation marks with most search tools will allow the searcher to search a combination of words.