How to do a boolean search in google
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The document provides instructions on how to perform effective Boolean searches to find targeted information online. It explains several Boolean operators such as using quotation marks for exact phrase searches, AND/OR/NOT to combine or exclude search terms, wildcards like asterisks for partial words, and combining operators for more complex queries. The goal is to teach efficient search techniques to assist with a knife crime prevention research project.
How to do a boolean search in google
- 1. No Knives Better Lives Action Research Project How to do a Boolean search
- 2. Searching the internet is useful for all aspects of modern life. Switch on your phone and the google search symbol appears. Often when you search using key words there are thousands of results. Now you can make your searches smarter. It’s quick & easy. Use it for the NKBL project, shopping online and exploring the world around you. Why we need to learn about Boolean searches
- 3. Make sure you include all of the words you want to search with quotation marks for each word: E.g. “knife” “carrying” This means you will search both knife and carrying. Exact Word Search “Knife” “carrying”
- 4. To search for two or more words in a certain order use quotation marks E.g. “Knife crime” In this search knife and crime must appear together. Phrase searching “knife crime”
- 5. Putting AND or the + symbol between search words means that it will search both A and B. This is particularly useful for narrowing the search to certain areas E.g. “Knife crime”+ Glasgow When you do this the search will prioritise where both knife crime and Glasgow appear together in a document. Using ‘AND’ or ‘+’ “Knife crime”+ Glasgow
- 6. An asterisk is used to find unknown words. E.g. “violent *” In this example it would search all terms pre-fixed with violent such as violent crime, or violent offence. Wild cards * “violent *”
- 7. In the last example the search will show up an American band called ‘violent femmes’ to exclude them from your search use AND NOT or ‘- ’ E.g. “violent *” –”violent femmes” All references to violent femmes are then removed. This is useful to remember when you want to remove certain areas from your search (E.g. if you want to remove all references to England type –England) Using ‘AND NOT’ or ‘-’ “knife crime”-England
- 8. Putting OR between search words means that it will search either A or B. E.g. knife OR weapon When you do this only one of them will appear in the search results Using ‘OR’ knife OR weapon
- 9. You can do more complex searches by combining operators. E.g. “knife” (crime OR carrying OR weapon)+Glasgow This search will look for knife and only one of the three words in the brackets where they appear with the word Glasgow. Combinations “knife” (crime OR carrying OR weapon)+Glasgow
- 10. Remember to check it out with your youth worker if you have any questions. Happy Searching!