1 What is Boolean search?

Boolean search is a way of using logical operators to connect keywords and phrases in a search query. The operators are AND, OR, NOT, and NEAR, and they can be used in different combinations to refine your search results. For example, if you want to find information on the Royal Ballet in London, you can use the operator AND to connect the keywords Royal Ballet and London, like this: Royal Ballet AND London. This will return only the results that contain both terms.

2 How to use AND operator

The AND operator is useful when you want to find results that include all of your keywords or phrases. It can help you narrow down your search results by eliminating irrelevant or unrelated pages. For example, if you want to find information on the Royal Ballet's history, you can use the operator AND to connect the keywords Royal Ballet and history, like this: Royal Ballet AND history. This will return only the results that contain both terms. You can also use parentheses to group keywords or phrases together, like this: (Royal Ballet AND history) AND (founding OR origin). This will return only the results that contain both Royal Ballet and history, and either founding or origin.

3 How to use OR operator

The OR operator is useful when you want to find results that include any of your keywords or phrases. It can help you broaden your search results by including more relevant or related pages. For example, if you want to find information on the Royal Ballet's repertoire, you can use the operator OR to connect the keywords Royal Ballet and repertoire, like this: Royal Ballet OR repertoire. This will return the results that contain either term. You can also use parentheses to group keywords or phrases together, like this: (Royal Ballet OR repertoire) AND (Swan Lake OR Nutcracker). This will return the results that contain either Royal Ballet or repertoire, and either Swan Lake or Nutcracker.

5 How to use NEAR operator

The NEAR operator is useful when you want to find results that include two keywords or phrases that are close to each other in a page. It can help you find more specific or relevant information by reducing the distance between your keywords or phrases. For example, if you want to find information on the Royal Ballet's reviews, you can use the operator NEAR to connect the keywords Royal Ballet and reviews, like this: Royal Ballet NEAR reviews. This will return only the results that contain Royal Ballet and reviews within a certain number of words, depending on the search engine. You can also use parentheses to group keywords or phrases together, like this: (Royal Ballet NEAR reviews) AND (positive OR negative). This will return only the results that contain Royal Ballet and reviews within a certain number of words, and either positive or negative.

6 Tips and tricks

If you want to use Boolean search strategies more effectively, there are several tips and tricks to keep in mind. For example, you can use quotation marks to search for exact phrases, like "Royal Ballet" or "Swan Lake". Additionally, asterisks can be used to search for variations of a word, such as ballet*. Hyphens can also be used to exclude words from your search, like Royal Ballet -London. You can also experiment with advanced search options or filters to refine your search by date, language, location, domain, etc. Finally, it’s important to experiment with different combinations of operators, keywords, and phrases to find the best results for your topic.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?