Boolean Search | Meaning and Definition

What is boolean search?

A boolean search is a search that uses the operators AND, OR, and NOT to limit the search on databases like Google. The operator ‘AND’ returns all documents containing all of the terms you specify. The operator ‘OR‘ returns all documents that contain any of the terms you specify. The operator ‘NOT‘ returns all documents that do not contain the term you specify.

For example, suppose you want to find information about dogs AND cats. To perform this search in Google, type “dogs AND cats” (without quotation marks) into the Google search box and press Enter or click on the Search button. This will return Web pages that contain both “dogs” and “cats.”

Boolean Search Operators

Boolean searches can be done on any of the search engine available across the Internet using certain symbols and there is no restriction of how to use it.

Here are some of the elements of Boolean Search:

AND: Boolean search operators are important for any researcher looking for information online. AND is just one of many operators that can be used to find the most relevant results. 

For example, if you wanted to find articles about Kate Middleton and her clothing style, you would use the AND operator. This would give you results that mentioned both topics in the same article, rather than articles that just talked about one. 

OR: Let’s say you’re looking for a job and you want to use boolean search operators. You might enter “marketing OR advertising” into the search bar to find jobs involving marketing and advertising. 

OR is useful when you include more than one term in your search. It tells the search engine to return results that include either of the terms you’ve entered. 

NOT: For example, if you’re looking for a job and want to exclude jobs in the sales industry, you can use the “NOT” operator.