Boolean Searches

1
Boolean Searches

• Named for British mathematician George Boole
• System of logic designed to produce much better
  search results

• Bartenders use Boolean logic every day to fill
  customers mixed drink orders

2
Remember the Search Mixers!

• Bartenders combine alcohol to make drinks.
• Operators combine keywords to make search strings.

Vodka AND Roses Lime Juice Vodka AND Kahlua
Vodka Gimlet AND milk White
Russian
3
Research is likeadding mixers

• Too many choices using the subject History
• 405,393 articles in ProQuest Research Library
• Decide on your main ingredient (History), then
  blend it with mixers (place, time period, person,
  event)

History AND England AND Tudor AND Elizabeth
History AND Japan AND Tokugawa AND Shogunate
4
AND

• Narrows your search
• Retrieves only documents that contain all your
  keywords
• The more keywords, the fewer the results
• Gin and Rum and Tequila and Vodka and sour mix
  and Cola
• Medical research and ethics and stem cells
• Central Park and Christo and art

5
OR

• Expands the search
• Retrieves documents in which either or both
  keywords appear
• The more keywords, the greater the results
• Also use for synonyms
• Stolichnaya or Smirnoff or Finlandia or Absolut
  or Chopin or Belvedere or Grey Goose or VanGogh
• Vodka and (Midori or peach schnapps or blue
  curacao or apple pucker)
• college or university
• feminism or womens rights

6
NOT

• Narrows the search
• Retrieves documents in which only the first
  keyword appears
• Cosmopolitan NOT splash of cranberry juice
• Cowboys NOT Football
• Beware! The computer will not retrieve documents
  where both keywords appear.
• Fuzzy Navel NOT peach schnapps
• vegetarianism NOT animal rights

7
QUOTATION MARKS

• Not all databases or search engines allow this
  option
• Words inside quotation marks become a phrase.
• Computer searches for the words in that exact
  order.
• Like the layered shot Chocolate Covered Cherry
• green tea
• Wonder Woman

8
NESTING

• Combines several search statements into one
  search
• Parentheses separate keywords when you are using
  more than 1 operator and 3 or more keywords
• Think about math (8-4) (12-6) 24, but the
  answer would be different without the parentheses
• (Jose Cuervo or Sauza) AND (Gran Marnier or
  Cointreau or Triple Sec) AND (lemon or lime) NOT
  Salt
• (MDMA or ecstasy) AND (physiological or medical)
  AND effects

9
TRUNCATION

• Use or at end of word.
• Computer retrieves documents containing
  variations of a root word.
• Sloe Gin Fizz After Midnight, Against the Wall,
  Mexican Style, A Little Bit of English, With a
  Kiss
• environment Finds environment, environmental,
  environmentalism, etc.
• Use ? inside a word
• Computer retrieves various spellings of a word
• Wom?n Finds woman, women, womin, womyn

10
Always cite the websites where you retrieved your
photos! Bibliography

• CocktailUK. (n.d.). Cocktail Recipe. Retrieved
  April 28, 2005, from http//www.cocktail.uk.com.
  
• Cynical-C Blog. (2005). Retrieved April 28, 2005,
  from http//www.cynical-c.com/archives/bloggraphi
  cs/cocktails.jpg.
• Double Coffee. (2002). Alkoholiskie kokteili.
  Retrieved April 28, 2005, from
  http//www.doublecoffee.lv/pic/cosmopolitan.jpg.
• Fluid Foundation. (n.d.). Fluid Trade. Retrieved
  April 28, 2005, from http//www.fluidfoundation.c
  om/gfx/cocktails/regular/360.jpg.
• Gimlet. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2005, from
  http//www.misichan.com/cocktail/cgi/image/cockta
  il15.jpg.
• Internet Marketing Services. (2002). Martini
  Swords. Retrieved April 28, 2005 from
  http//www.martini-swords.com/Clipart- Martini/mar
  tini-excalibur201.jpg

11
Bibliography (Continued)

• Lorenzen, M. (2002). Remember the Gin and
  Tonic! Retrieved April 27, 2005, from
  http//www.libraryinstruction.com/alcohol.html.
• Steves Frozen Chillers. (n.d.). Steves Frozen
  Chillers. Retrieved April 28, 2005, from
  http//www.stevesfrozenchillers.com/margarita.jpg
• Suntory Limited. (2005). Web Night Bar. Retrieved
  April 28, 2005, from http//www.suntory.co.jp/wnb
  /img/cocktail/ p_long_island_iced_tea.gif
• Sword Forge. (2005). Functional Swords. Retrieved
  April 28, 2005, from http//www.swordforge.co.uk/
  images/M1643.jpg
• The Ultimate Cate Blanchett Website. (2003).
  Retrieved April 28, 2005 from http//sc.groups.ms
  n.com/tn/28/D0/ theultimatecateblanchettwebsite/2
  /7.jpg
• Vin- Cocktailguiden i Sverige AB. (n.d.).
  Cocktailguiden. Retrieved April 28, 2005, from
  http//www.cocktailguiden.com/cocktailbilder/
  vanillarussian.jpg.